article-image

WNBA: Collier scores 33 to keep Lynx unbeaten

0
0
Clock Icon3 hoursBasketball

Napheesa Collier had 33 points and 11 rebounds, and the unbeaten Minnesota Lynx used a late run to rally to beat the Connecticut Sun 76-70 on Friday night.

The Lynx held the Sun scoreless for more than 4 1/2 minutes after Tina Charles hit a jumper to give Connecticut a 68-53 lead with 5:20 left.

Collier hit a short jumper, the Lynx forced a shot-clock violation on the other end and then Collier made two free throws to tie it 68-all with 1:38 to play. Marina Mabrey missed a 3-point shot for the Sun before Natisha Hiedeman hit a straight-away 3 to cap an 18-0 run and give Minnesota its first lead of the game.

Hiedeman scored eight of her 11 points as the Lynx (4-0) closed on a 23-2 run over the final five minutes. Jessica Shepard added 13 points.

Mabrey hit four 3-pointers and finished with 22 points, eight rebounds and six assists for Connecticut (0-3). Haley Peters scored 12 points, Saniya Rivers added 11 and Olivia Nelson-Ododa finished with 10 points and 10 rebounds.

 

Lloyd’s late 3 lifts Aces over Mystics

Jackie Young scored 25 points, Jewell Loyd hit a corner 3-pointer with 1.9 seconds left, and the Las Vegas Aces scored the final nine points to beat the Washington Mystics 75-72.

Chelsea Gray added 17 points and A'ja Wilson finished with 15 points, 10 rebounds, five assists and three blocks for Las Vegas (2-1). Wilson moved past Elizabeth Williams into 10th in WNBA history with 447 career blocked shots.

Young stole a pass and then made a layup before the Aces forced a shot-clock violation with 15.9 seconds remaining. Wilson hit Young for a wide-open layup to tie it 72-all with 11.1 seconds to go, Kiah Stokes blocked a shot and grabbed the rebound and Wilson fed Lloyd for the go-ahead 3-pointer.

Lloyd finished with nine points on 2-for-9 shooting, including 2-for-7 from 3-point range.

 

Diggins leads Storm past Mercury

Skylar Diggins had 24 points and a career-high 14 assists, and the Seattle Storm scored the last seven points to beat the Phoenix Mercury 77-70.

Nneka Ogwumike scored 24 points for Seattle, which avenged a season-opening 81-59 blowout in Phoenix last Saturday when the Storm had their lowest scoring game in four seasons.

Gabby Williams added 11 points for Storm (2-1) in their home opener. Diggins' assists tied Sue Bird’s franchise record.

Alyssa Thomas had 18 points and 11 rebounds for the Mercury (2-1) to pass Rebekkah Brunson for 10th on the WNBA's all-time list with her 82nd double-double. Satou Sabally added 15 points and rookie Monique Akoa Makani scored a career-high 14.

Akoa Makani had a layup and back-to-back 3-pointers to tie the game at 70 with 4:46 to play but the Mercury suffered their second dry spell of the second half, missing their last six shots - with Diggins and Ogwumike both getting blocks at the basket - with two turnovers.