Phoenix Mercury head coach Nate Tibbetts and rookie guard Lexi Held have praised the impact of D’Tigress star Murjanatu Musa following their 86–77 win over the Golden State Valkyries, Bold Sports NG reports.
Murjanatu Musa contributed eight points and three rebounds in 18 minutes on the court, helping the Mercury secure their sixth win of the season.
Rookie Lexi Held led the team with a WNBA career-high 24 points, while Satou Sabally added 19 points, seven rebounds, and five assists in the impressive team performance.
Despite joining the team late, having missed most of the Mercury’s training camp due to club commitments with French side Tarbes-Gespe Bigorre, Musa is beginning to find her rhythm in the WNBA. Her solid outing earned praise from both her coach and teammate.
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“I’m a big fan of Musa,” Tibbetts said. “I saw her at the Olympics—the first game I attended was Nigeria versus Australia—and I just loved her energy. She may be a little undersized, but she plays much bigger than she is. She does a great job getting out of pick-and-rolls.
“Tonight was the first time she looked truly comfortable out there. I’m happy for her. Coming to America for the first time and missing all of training camp, it’s not easy. But she stepped up tonight.”
Held also commended Musa’s contributions on and off the stat sheet.
“She was awesome—such a great athlete,” Held said. “Even though she joined the team a bit late and was still figuring things out, she’s a national team player—she knows how to play.
“She made good reads, stopped plays, and hit key baskets. Even the things that don’t show up in the stats—she contributed a lot. I thought she was great.”
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