Phoenix Mercury guard Jovana Nogić put the Las Vegas Aces and the WNBA on notice.
On Saturday, the Aces hosted the Mercury in a rematch of the 2025 WNBA Finals. The last time the two teams saw one another, Las Vegas completed a 4-0 sweep of the Mercury, A’ja Wilson won another finals MVP, and the franchise won its third title in four seasons.
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However, as the Aces host their championship ring day at Michaelob Ultra Arena, it’s the Mercury that are all the talk of the matchup. Phoenix had a comfortable 20-plus point lead at halftime, and there’s one rookie to thank. Serbian guard Jovana Nogić scored 19 points of the Mercury’s 56 points on 83% shooting while adding three assists and two steals in 16 minutes.”I’m just happy. I’m just happy to be here. The team’s great, so it makes it easy to be here and just have fun. After all, that’s what basketball is ― just read the game and have fun with your teammates,” Nogić said casually about her performance heading into halftime. It was her first game in the WNBA and first career start, as Phoenix’s starting point guard, Monique Akoa Makani, has yet to arrive from overseas play.
