Oklahoma State Professional Athletes

Natasha Mack gave Oklahoma State fans something to cheer about in an otherwise rough week for the Phoenix Mercury — a defensive performance that stands among the best individual games of the 2026 WNBA season.

The Highlight: A Defensive Gem in a Losing Effort

On Friday, September 25, Mack delivered a rare two-way defensive effort against the Las Vegas Aces, posting 4 steals and 4 blocks to go along with 12 points and 7 rebounds. The combined 8 stocks (steals + blocks) in a single game ranks among the elite individual defensive outings of the season league-wide. It's the kind of stat line that doesn't come around often — most WNBA players are fortunate to record that total across several games, let alone one.

The catch: Phoenix still lost, 100–82, and Mack's minus-15 plus/minus reflected the broader team collapse around her. A dominant defender can disrupt possessions, but she can't manufacture offense for her teammates. The Mercury's inability to keep pace with Las Vegas meant Mack's historic night went into the loss column regardless.

Earlier in the Week: A Taste of Victory

Tuesday's matchup told a different story — at least in the final score. Mack contributed 12 points, 4 rebounds, and 2 blocks in a tight 87–86 Phoenix win over Dallas on September 22. The effort was quieter by her own standards, but the Mercury squeaked out the victory, and Mack's interior presence was part of the formula. A minus-5 plus/minus still suggested Phoenix's margins remain thin, but a win is a win.

The Bigger Picture for OSU's Lone WNBA Rep

Across the two-game stretch, Mack averaged 12 points, 5.5 rebounds, 3 blocks, and 2 steals per game — production that underscores why she remains Phoenix's most disruptive interior force. The Friday performance in particular is the kind of game that gets clipped, shared, and remembered at the end of the season when defensive Player of the Year conversations begin in earnest.

For Cowboy faithful, Mack continues to be the standard-bearer for Oklahoma State in the WNBA — versatile enough to score in the post, athletic enough to contest on the perimeter, and active enough to make life miserable for ball-handlers who dare to drive into the paint. The Mercury's team record may not reflect it, but Mack's individual case is trending in the right direction.

Whether Phoenix can build enough around her to close out the season on a meaningful run remains the open question. For now, OSU alumni can point to September 25, 2026, and say one of their own put together one of the most complete defensive performances the league has seen all year.

Two Cowgirls are making noise in Phoenix — and the Mercury are better for it.

Oklahoma State alumnae Shay Ciezki and Natasha Mack shared the floor for a pivotal stretch run in the WNBA's final weeks, with Ciezki delivering a breakout moment and Mack providing the kind of dependable frontcourt production that playoff-hopeful teams lean on when things get tight.

Ciezki's Career Night Sparks a Comeback

The biggest OSU headline of the week came Thursday in Portland, where Mercury rookie Shay Ciezki turned in a career night to help Phoenix rally past the Portland Fire at Moda Center. Details of the exact stat line weren't disclosed in the brief, but the result spoke for itself: a comeback win, a celebration on the court, and a young guard cementing herself as a legitimate factor in Phoenix's rotation. Ciezki, in her first WNBA season, is doing what promising rookies dream of — coming through in a meaningful game when the moment is biggest.

The image of Ciezki (No. 5) and Mack (No. 4) celebrating together after the final buzzer was the kind of scene that makes alumni offices want to send a press release: two products of Stillwater, Oklahoma, making plays on a national stage, together.

Mack Delivers Across Back-to-Back Games

While Ciezki got the headlines Thursday, Mack quietly put together one of the more productive two-game stretches of her week. On Friday against Portland — a tight 94–91 Phoenix win — Mack posted 11 points, 5 rebounds, 3 steals, and 2 blocks. The steal total is a standout figure; for a frontcourt player to rack up three steals in a single game signals active, disruptive defense that goes well beyond what the box score suggests.

She followed that up Saturday against Dallas in a narrow 82–87 loss, bumping her scoring to 16 points to go with 7 rebounds, 2 blocks, and a steal. Back-to-back games totaling 27 points, 12 rebounds, and 5 blocks is the kind of output that keeps a big on the floor in crunch time — even if the Mercury couldn't close out the Mavs.

Mack's plus/minus ran negative in both games (–5 Friday, –3 Saturday), a reminder that even strong individual performances don't always translate to team outcomes. But the raw production was unambiguous: she was one of Phoenix's most active players across a crucial back-to-back.

The Bigger Picture

With Ciezki emerging as a reliable piece and Mack logging heavy minutes in the frontcourt, Oklahoma State has quietly built a meaningful two-player presence on the Mercury roster. For OSU alumni tracking the program's WNBA footprint, this was a week that delivered — a comeback win, a career moment, and two Cowgirls in each other's corner when it counted.