MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Napheesa Collier had 33 points and 11 rebounds, and the Minnesota Lynx used a late run to rally and 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.
STORM 77, MERCURY 70
SEATTLE (AP) — Skylar Diggins had 24 points and a career-high 14 assists, and Seattle scored the last seven points to beat Phoenix.
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.
Diggins hit a jumper for the lead and then Ogwumike made a pair of layups, t he first on Diggins’ last assist, for a 76-70 lead before Diggins added a free throw to make it a three-possession game with 28 seconds remaining.
ACES 75, MYSTICS 72
LAS VEGAS (AP) — Jackie Young scored 25 points, Jewell Loyd hit a corner 3-pointer with 1.9 seconds left, and Las Vegas scored the final nine points to beat Washington.
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 Loyd for the go-ahead 3-pointer.
Loyd finished with nine points on 2-for-9 shooting, including 2 for 7 from 3-point range.
Sonia Citron converted a three-point play to give Washington a nine-point lead with 3:49 to play. Young answered with two free throws and then made a jumper before Dana Evans hit a 3-pointer that made it a two-point game with 2:02 remaining.
Citron hit a 3 just 19 seconds later and Jade Melbourne made 1 of 2 from the free-throw line with 1:15 to go that gave the Mystics a 72-66 lead.
Citron hit four 3-pointers and scored 19 points to lead the Mystics (2-2). Kiki Iriafen had 17 points and 13 rebounds.
VALKRIES 82, SPARKS 73
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Carla Leite scored 19 points, fellow rookie Janelle Salaun had 18, and Kayla Thornton added 14 points and 10 rebounds to help Golden State beat Los Angeles.
Salaun grabbed eight rebounds and Leite made 7 of 10 from the field. Veronica Burton added 12 points and five steals for the Valkyries (2-1).
Expansion Golden State, which beat Washington 76-74 on Wednesday, has won consecutive games for the first time franchise history.
Thornton made a floater with 6:43 to play that gave Golden State a 73-58 lead but the Valkyries went scoreless for the next five-plus minutes. Kelsey Plum hit a 3-pointer and Dearica Hamby scored the final five points in a 10-0 run before Thornton made three free throws with 1:33 remaining that made it 76-68.
Hamby led Los Angeles (1-3) with 25 points, Plum scored 16 and Odyssey Sims had 13.
The Associated Press
