Record-setting Indiana women's basketball guard signs contract with Phoenix Mercury

Twenty-four hours after dropping a career-high 22 points against Portland , IU women's basketball alum Shay Ciezki signed a rest-of-season contract with the Mercury.

The 5-foot-7 guard was on a developmental deal with Phoenix , totaling 47 points on 55.6% shooting (50% 3FG), 10 assists and nine rebounds in five games played.

Ciezki's career night Thursday vs. Portland was highlighted by a 17-point third quarter. That's a Mercury record for points in a quarter by a rookie, and is tied for second-most in WNBA history. Of the five other rookies to accomplish the feat, three were No. 1 picks (Azzi Fudd, Rhyne Howard , Seimone Augustus), Olivia Miles was taken second overall and Justine Pissott was a second-round pick.

Ciezki signed with Phoenix as an undrafted free agent in April.

In fact, Ciezki is on her third stint with the Mercury, having been waived in early May — after totaling 10 points and seven steals during the preseason — then again on June 4 so the team could acquire Kiana Williams .

Williams was signed by the Sparks on June 19, so Phoenix brought Ciezki back on a developmental deal. She made her WNBA debut against the Indiana Fever on June 22, netting a 3-pointer and guarding Caitlin Clark in her two minutes played.

"She's a little spark plug. She comes to work every day," Mercury coach Nate Tibbetts said afterwards. "Our veterans really enjoy having her around. She's got the ability to make a shot, and can play both with and without the ball. … She did such a good job in camp, we thought it'd be great to bring her back."

Ciezki posted a 53/45/91 with a school-record scoring average of 22.8 points in her final season at IU, becoming just the second NCAA Division I women's basketball player all-time to record a 50/40/90 while scoring at least 20 points per game.

The Mercury have three games remaining: A home-and-home vs. Dallas , followed by the season finale vs. Las Vegas .

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