Phoenix Mercury associate head coach Kristi Toliver during the home game against the Seattle Storm on July 2. (Photo: Adrianna Peralta | The Podium Finish)
PHOENIX — Before the Phoenix Mercury completed their first season sweep of the Seattle Storm since 2022 on Thursday night at home, one of the WNBA’s most highly-anticipated head coaching candidates received her opportunity.
Associate Head Coach Kristi Toliver stepped in as acting head coach for Nate Tibbetts, who was sidelined by illness, and guided the Mercury to a commanding 90-67 victory over the Storm in front of a sellout crowd of 10,055 fans at Mortgage Matchup Center.
“He was feeling really, really ill this morning at shoot around,” Toliver said of Tibbetts pregame. “We were about to start, he came back, called me over. He was like, “KT, I’m feeling sick as a dog right now. Can you handle shootaround?” I said, “Coach, I got it. We’re a next-man-up mentality team anyway,” so he wouldn’t be here tonight, but I know he’ll be on the couch watching with his wife and his daughters and his doggies, cheering us on.”
Throughout her 14-year playing career, Toliver won two WNBA championships with the Los Angeles Sparks (2016) and the Washington Mystics (2019) and became a three-time All-Star.
Known for being a mastermind in pick-and-rolls and elite three-point shooting at both the point guard and shooting guard positions, she also led the Maryland Terrapins to a National Championship in 2006, as she made a name for herself at the college and professional levels.
Mercury Extend Its Win Streak to Three Games Thanks to Next-Man-Up Mentality Strategy
Phoenix Mercury huddle around before taking on the Seattle Storm at home on July 2. (Photo: Adrianna Peralta | The Podium Finish)
After winning a close road game over the Toronto Tempo on Saturday, the Mercury had five days to rest, recover, and practice before starting the three-game homestand. When Phoenix welcomed the Seattle Storm at home, they looked prepared and ready to go, and that showed in their blowout victory.
“The last couple of days of practice that we’ve actually been able to have, that’s been a point of emphasis, and we’ve seen as a group how we’ve grown offensively,” Toliver said.
“We knew it was going to take time, and something we were telling everybody was that chemistry doesn’t happen overnight. I think we’re starting to see that now, and just super proud of the players tonight. Always said before the game, all you got to do is go out and try to be the best version of yourself.”
The Mercury gave themselves a significant advantage by winning the rebounding battle (40-27), which was largely fueled by crashing the offensive glass. In the first half, Phoenix recorded 10 offensive rebounds and 12 second-chance points, setting the tone to capitalize in the paint and on the offensive end.
One of the stars, guard Kahleah Copper, recorded 30 points, seven rebounds, three assists, and two steals for the Mercury, where she has continued to score aggressively on the offensive end. Since June 13 against the Los Angeles Sparks, she is averaging 27.0 points per game, which is ranked second in the league behind Toronto Tempo guard Marina Mabrey, who averages 28.0 points per game.
“It was a heavy emphasis on crashing, and in the first half, we had ten offensive rebounds,” Copper said. “An emphasis on that, for missing shots, we’ve got to be able to go and get extra possessions, but overall, for me, just watching film, just trying to be able to get extra possessions and affect the game in other ways.”
Throughout the last five games, the Mercury utilized their next-man-up opportunities for players to step up when dealing with injuries. A couple of examples from Thursday’s game are guard Lexi Held recording 17 points, a career-high five three-pointers made and five rebounds, and forward Valeriane Ayayi scoring 18 points and drilling three three-pointers for Phoenix.
Nearly two weeks ago, Ayayi recorded the first double-double of her WNBA career against the Storm, and she has been making a positive difference for the Mercury off the bench and as a starter. She continues to get more and more comfortable in Tibbetts’ coaching system in Phoenix.
“It’s next man up, and I wasn’t the only man,” Toliver said. “We do things by committee here, and I told Vogel (assistant coach Megan Vogel) before the game, I trust you one hundred percent in what you do, and I said that down the line, throughout our whole coaching staff. I’m just really happy that they had my back, I certainly have theirs, and it was a collaboration and that’s always how it’s going to have to be. That’s what success needs and requires, and as a group we did it, not only the players, but the coaching staff as well.”
Since returning to the Mercury after her short stint with the Tempo, Held has been making a difference for the team on both ends of the court. Phoenix sees improvement in not only her three-point shooting but also her aggressiveness on the defensive end.
“It goes to the environment that I’m playing in,” Held said. “I have great teammates, a great coaching staff that believes in me. It’s kind of my nature to do whatever I can on the court to impact the game positively.
“If that’s a scoring role, if that’s just a defensive role, whatever it is that game that I need to do, I just try to do it to the best of my ability. We’ve been hit with a lot of adversity this past couple of weeks, so at different times some people have had to step up and kind of have to roll with the punches and take advantage of the opportunity.”
Toliver Earns First Win as Acting Head Coach with Mercury
Phoenix Mercury guard Kahleah Copper (No. 2) during the home game against the Seattle Storm on July 2. (Photo: Adrianna Peralta | The Podium Finish)
Once they clinched the home victory, the Mercury celebrated Toliver’s first win as acting head coach by dousing her with water bottles and gathering around her in a jubilant team huddle.
After finishing 2-1 on a challenging three-game East Coast road trip, Phoenix has shown steady improvement, making progress with each game following a difficult start to the season.
“I think it’s earned with trust,” Toliver said postgame. “It’s earned with relationships and I have that with everyone on this team. I like to get to know everyone individually. I always take a moment or have a dinner or a coffee just to make sure that everyone’s feeling seen, everyone’s feeling heard and touched, and tonight was no different. I was just six inches to the left in that seat.”
Since joining the Mercury organization after spending seven seasons with the Chicago Sky in 2024, Copper and her teammates have admired the competitive spirit Toliver brings as a defensive-minded coach.
“I’m super proud of her,” Copper said of Toliver. “I think she’s gonna be a great head coach. Just interacting with her every day, super smart, very relatable, players’ coach. This just kind of happened today, so we weren’t really concerned. We already know.”
After serving as an assistant coach in the NBA with the Washington Wizards and Dallas Mavericks, Toliver joined the Mercury as associate head coach following her retirement from professional basketball in December 2023. She stepped into the head coaching role for Phoenix in Game 4 of the 2025 WNBA Finals after Tibbetts was ejected for arguing with officials. Players have since praised her thorough preparation and leadership leading up to that pivotal moment.
“I feel prepared, but I feel safe because I know I have a bunch of coaches and players that are gonna play their hearts out, and that’s what it’s all about,” Toliver said pregame. “We’re kind of the conductors, but they’re the musicians, and they’re gonna go play their tune.”
Alyssa Thomas Returns for the Mercury
Phoenix Mercury forward Alyssa Thomas (No. 25) attempts to score a basket against the Seattle Storm at home on July 2. (Photo: Adrianna Peralta | The Podium Finish)
To top off Toliver’s big moment with the Mercury, forward Alyssa Thomas returned for the team and was on a triple-double watch, recording nine points, 13 rebounds, nine assists, and two steals with a game-high +21 in plus/minus.
After going through a lot of adversity over the past week, what impressed Toliver the most was how Thomas handled herself professionally after receiving a suspension from the league.
“AT (Alyssa Thomas) has handled it like a pro… that’s all she wants to do is play the game that she loves and leave everything else at the front door,” Toliver said of Thomas.
“Having AT on the floor is important,” added Copper postgame. “What she does for us is a lot, and I don’t think anyone else can do what she does. To have her back out there is everything; to have anybody on this team listen, we’re going to feel it, because everybody brings something different. And we need everybody to bring it every single night. It was great to have AT back.”
As the Mercury continue to take their patient approach of one game at a time while utilizing their next-man-up mentality, all that matters to the team is how they stick together through adversity. Toliver’s debut as acting head coach for Phoenix is one of those examples, and once her name is called in the future, the team is thrilled to see where she will end up in the WNBA.
The Mercury will continue their three-game homestand on Tuesday, July 7, welcoming the Chicago Sky. The last time these two teams met was on May 15, when Phoenix won at home behind Jovana Nogic‘s stellar performance.
From the Desk of the Phoenix Mercury PR: “The Mercury grabbed a season-high 13 offensive rebounds, contributing to a season-high 20 second- chance points, compared to the Storm’s five offensive rebounds and six second-chance points. Phoenix grabbed eight of their offensive boards in the first quarter.”
“In the season series, Phoenix outscored Seattle 255-208 with an average win margin of 15.7, winning two of the three games by 20+ points.”
