Phoenix Mercury forward DeWanna Bonner says resilience was key in their victory against the Caitlin Clark-led Indiana Fever.
The Mercury exacted revenge over the Fever on Wednesday at the Gainbridge Fieldhouse in front of a hostile environment. This was after Phoenix lost to Indiana on Monday, 86-77.
Phoenix battled to a 111-109 win over Clark and Co. to improve their record to 6-13.
During her postgame interview, Bonner pointed out that their resilience and willingness to step up for their injured teammates were key in securing the win on the road.
“Yeah, we’ve been doing it all year," Bonner said. "We kind of started out with injuries when Sami (Whitcomb) went down. So, just trying to figure it out. I think that's just the game of basketball. Unfortunately, you have bad luck with injuries. Everybody knows you have to step up.”
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The former No. 5 pick in the 2009 WNBA Draft also stated that this triumph showed how strong their team identity is and how it will continue to bind their chemistry.
“Just build confidence,” she continued. “It just shows our character. We stick together no matter what. And it’s taken a little minute to find our groove, but this was a huge win for us.”
This latest victory was extra special for the two-time WNBA champion and six-time WNBA All-Star after an altercation with Clark in their previous game.
Bonner and Clark had a heated moment in the fourth quarter of that game, as they were fighting for position to get a rebound.
This altercation resulted in five technical fouls, which were slapped to Bonner, Clark, Alyssa Thomas, Myisha Hines-Allen and Sophie Cunningham for their roles in the fracas.
