Mercury on national TV for 22 of their 32 games

The Phoenix Mercury will play 22 of their 32 games on national television including the season opener.

Mercury away games vs. Minnesota on May 14, Connecticut on May 16 and Washington on May 18 will be televised on CBS Sports Network (first two) and on ESPN2.

Other Mercury national telecasts include July 9 at home vs. Seattle on ESPN and the regular season finale Sept. 19 at home vs. Las Vegas on ABC.

Overall 100 WNBA games will be televised nationally on ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, CBS, CBS Sports Network and NBA TV.

Games also will be streamed on Twitter, Facebook Watch and Oculus from Facebook (four involving the Mercury). Some Mercury games will be televised on Bally Sports Arizona.

Google was announced Monday as a presenting sponsor of the WNBA on ESPN, a 25-game schedule coinciding with the league’s 25th season.

“Even though we had to play in a bubble last year, the visibility we had with the national TV schedule helped us develop our game,” Mercury coach Sandy Brondello said. “If we’ve got 100 games on national TV, that’s a step in the right direction. Everyone realizes we’ve got the best players in the world, and they’re also more than just players with all the areas off the court they’re working on.

“We’ve got to sell the product, and the only way to sell it is getting visibility and national TV. We’ll continue to get better and better every year.”

The Mercury host WNBA defending champion Seattle in a preseason game Saturday then scrimmage at Seattle on May 10.