DePaul in the WNBA | Week of Aug. 30–Sep. 5, 2026
When the Phoenix Mercury needed someone to set the tone against the Tempo, Lexi Held answered.
The DePaul product turned in one of her most complete games of the season on August 30, helping Phoenix dismantle the Tempo 101–69 in a wire-to-wire blowout. Held's stat line — 11 points, 3 assists, and 3 steals — tells part of the story. The number that really jumps off the page is her +31 plus-minus, a reflection of just how thoroughly the Mercury controlled the game whenever she was on the floor.
The 32-point margin of victory wasn't a fluke, and Held's two-way contribution was central to it. Her three steals speak to the disruptive, high-effort defensive identity she's carried over from her time at DePaul, where her activity on that end of the floor was already a calling card. Paired with her playmaking — three assists without a turnover mentioned — Held wasn't just along for the ride on a dominant night. She was helping drive it.
For DePaul alumni in the WNBA this week, the story was effectively Held's alone. The other active Blue Demon in the league, Aneesah Morrow, found herself on the other side of this one, suiting up for the Tempo — the team on the wrong end of that 101–69 final. It wasn't a week to remember for Chicago's Tempo, and there were no notable individual stat lines from Morrow to report.
Held's performance is the kind that quietly builds a case. She's not a household name in WNBA circles yet, but a +31 in a dominant outing — combined with the defensive juice — is the profile of a player earning expanded trust from the Mercury coaching staff. DePaul fans tracking her trajectory have reason to feel good about where things are heading.
The Blue Demons have produced professional talent on both ends of the floor, and this week served as a reminder that their WNBA footprint is real, even if it's still growing. For now, Held is carrying the banner — and doing it convincingly.
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