Freeman Coliseum – Despite it being her last game in front of her hometown fans, Sophia Young-Malcolm still played as hard as she could. It was all anyone asked of her.
Young-Malcolm finished with eight points as the San Antonio Stars fell 82-52 to the Phoenix Mercury in front of 6,076 fans at Freeman Coliseum on Saturday night.
Valariane Ayayi also had eight and three players each had seven for San Antonio, who failed to get one player in double figures and tied a franchise high nine straight losses.
“I just thought that Phoenix honestly was the more dominant team, especially playing through (Brittney) Griner the way that they did,” Stars head coach Dan Hughes said. “I thought Griner was very good, and she was an enabler for them in a lot of situations.”
The Mercury were led by Brittney Griner’s 22 points. Candice Dupree had 12 points and eight rebounds, and Monique Currie had 11 points and seven rebounds for Phoenix (19-13), who won the season series 3-1 with San Antonio.
Young-Malcolm maintains the result of the game did not matter. It is the people she got to spend her final game with that mattered most. Her teammates, coaches and the fans. The 31-year-old was honored with a postgame ceremony to let the Stars faithful send her off their way.
“I am truly blessed and privileged to have been here my whole entire career,” Young-Malcolm said. “I would not choose anywhere else to be. It has been a phenomenal journey, and I don’t know what my life would’ve been if not for this. I am truly blessed, and I am very grateful.”
The Stars are now 7-25 on the season and will return to the court on Tuesday when they take on the Tulsa Shock at 7 p.m. inside the BOK Center.
