Satou Sabally's 22 points lead Phoenix Mercury past Las Vegas Aces 76-70

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Satou Sabally scored 22 points with nine rebounds, Alyssa Thomas added 14 points and 13 assists and the Phoenix Mercury defeated the Las Vegas Aces, still without MVP A'ja Wilson, 76-70 on Sunday.

Sami Whitcomb added 18 points off the bench, with her fourth 3-pointer proving critical, coming just 13 seconds after Jewell Loyd hit a 3-pointer to bring the Aces within three points with 1:37 to play.

Kahleah Copper scored 11 points in her first game of the season for the Mercury (8-4) after suffering a preseason knee injury. Her start moved Whitcomb to the bench, where she helped Phoenix outscore the Aces 28-14 in the Commissioner's Cup matchup.

The Mercury also scored twice as many points off turnovers, turning 22 Las Vegas turnovers into 22 points.

Chelsea Gray led the Aces (5-5) with 20 points and 10 rebounds. Loyd added 17 points and Jackie Young had 15. Wilson missed her second-straight game with a concussion suffered in a game on Wednesday.

Whitcomb and Lexi Held made back-to-back 3s to push the lead to 60-49 late the third quarter and the Mercury took a 60-54 lead into the fourth quarter.

Four free throws to start the final quarter got the Aces within two points, but Thomas and Whitcomb helped the Mercury answer every challenge.

The game was tied at 20 after a first quarter that included five lead changes and six ties but a 3-pointer from Sabally gave the Mercury a 27-24 lead and they stayed on top to take a 43-39 lead at the half.

Las Vegas goes to Minnesota on Tuesday. Phoenix is at Connecticut on Wednesday in the second of a four-game road trip.

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Phoenix Mercury forward Satou Sabally, left, blocks a shot by Las Vegas Aces guard Jackie Young, center, during the first half of a WNBA basketball game Sunday, June 15, 2025, in Las Vegas. (Steve Marcus/Las Vegas Sun via AP)via AP)

Las Vegas Aces guard Chelsea Gray (12) reacts after scoring a basket against the Phoenix Mercury during the first half of an WNBA basketball game Sunday, June 15, 2025, in Las Vegas. (Steve Marcus/Las Vegas Sun via AP)

Las Vegas Aces guard Jackie Young (0) drives the basket during the first half of a WNBA basketball game against the Phoenix Mercury, Sunday, June 15, 2025, in Las Vegas. (Steve Marcus/Las Vegas Sun via AP)

Phoenix Mercury guard Kahleah Copper (2) goes to the basket against Las Vegas Aces guard Aaliyah Nye (13) during the first half of a WNBA basketball game Sunday, June 15, 2025, in Las Vegas. (Steve Marcus/Las Vegas Sun via AP)

Phoenix Mercury guard Kahleah Copper (2) shoots a layup between Las Vegas Aces center Elizabeth Kitley (33) and guard Aaliyah Nye (13) during the first half of a WNBA basketball game Sunday, June 15, 2025, in Las Vegas. (Steve Marcus/Las Vegas Sun via AP)

A Ukrainian drone strike killed one person and wounded three others in the Russian city of Voronezh, local officials said Sunday.

A young woman died overnight in a hospital intensive care unit after debris from a drone fell on a house during the attack on Saturday, regional Gov. Alexander Gusev said on Telegram.

Three other people were wounded and more than 10 apartment buildings, private houses and a high school were damaged, he said, adding that air defenses shot down 17 drones over Voronezh. The city is home to just over 1 million people and lies some 250 kilometers (155 miles) from the Ukrainian border.

The attack came the day after Russia bombarded Ukraine with hundreds of drones and dozens of missiles overnight into Friday, killing at least four people in the capital Kyiv, according to Ukrainian officials.

For only the second time in the nearly four-year war, Russia used a powerful new hypersonic missile that struck western Ukraine in a clear warning to Kyiv and NATO.

The intense barrage and the launch of the nuclear-capable Oreshnik missile followed reports of major progress in talks between Ukraine and its allies on how to defend the country from further aggression by Moscow if a U.S.-led peace deal is struck.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Saturday in his nightly address that Ukrainian negotiators “continue to communicate with the American side.”

Chief negotiator Rustem Umerov was in contact with U.S. partners Saturday, he said.

Separately, Ukraine’s General Staff said Russia targeted Ukraine with 154 drones overnight into Sunday and 125 were shot down.

Follow the AP’s coverage of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine

This photo provided by the Ukrainian Security Service on Friday, Jan. 9, 2026, shows a fragment believed to be a part of a Russian Oreshnik intermediate range hypersonic ballistic missile that hit the Lviv region. (Ukrainian Security Service via AP)

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy, second left, listens to British Defense Secretary John Healey during their meeting in Kyiv, Ukraine, Friday, Jan. 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Danylo Antoniuk)