Sky score final 9 points to rally past Sun in overtime thriller
Liberty gets key win over Mercury; Aces hand Fever club-record 14th straight loss
Kahleah Copper scored 27 points, Allie Quigley hit two big shots in overtime and the Chicago Sky beat host Connecticut Sun 95-92 in a matchup between two of the top teams on Sunday.
Connecticut (20-10) led 92-86 after Jonquel Jones sank 1 of 2 free throws with 2:02 remaining in overtime. Quigley answered with a 3-pointer and Courtney Vandersloot hit two foul shots to get Chicago (23-7) within 92-91 with 90 seconds left.
The Queen(s) of the Fourth. ๐<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/skytown?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#skytown</a> <a href="https://t.co/sAC7t3AfYV">pic.twitter.com/sAC7t3AfYV</a>
—@chicagosky
Following a Sun turnover, Emma Meesseman made a go-ahead layup with 47.3 seconds to go and Quigley scored down low with 8.1 left to cap the scoring and a 9-0 game-ending run.
DeWanna Bonner topped the Sun with 23 points.
Howard leads Liberty to key win over Mercury
Natasha Howard had 23 points and 12 rebounds to help the New York Liberty beat the visiting Phoenix Mercury.
Sabrina Ionescu had 10 points, 16 assists and eight rebounds for New York. Her assist total equaled the WNBA record for a game in the regular season, matching Ticha Penicheiro (twice), Courtney Vandersloot and Sue Bird. Vandersloot set the all-time mark of 18 for Chicago in the 2020 playoffs against Indiana.
I like it, Picasso. ๐คฉ <a href="https://t.co/KCPXhb1iiE">pic.twitter.com/KCPXhb1iiE</a>
—@nyliberty
Rebecca Allen added 17 points and Crystal Dangerfield also had a season-high 17 for the Liberty (11-18), who stayed within the mix for one of the final playoff spots with seven games remaining. New York will play all of those games against teams that the Liberty are chasing in the standings.
Phoenix (13-17) got 21 points from Sophie Cunningham.
Mystics narrowly edge Storm
Ariel Atkins scored 23 points to help the Washington Mystics hold off the visiting Seatlle Storm.
Elena Delle Donne had 17 points for Washington (19-12) while Natasha Cloud scored 11 with 10 assists.
EDD (<a href="https://twitter.com/De11eDonne?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@De11eDonne</a>) extends the Mystics lead to five with less than a minute left in the game! ๐ฎ <a href="https://t.co/YhLAOIkY7n">pic.twitter.com/YhLAOIkY7n</a>
—@WNBA
Breanna Stewart led Seattle (19-12) with 23 points. Jewell Loyd scored 15 and Sue Bird chipped in with 12 points and seven assists.
Atkins scored eight points in the third quarter to help the Mystics turn a one-point halftime deficit into a 62-55 lead heading to the final period. Seattle closed to within 75-73 on Bird's 3-pointer with 2:03 remaining, but Shakira Austin sank 1 of 2 foul shots and Delle Donne followed with a layup to keep the Storm at bay.
Aces rout Fever
Kelsey Plum scored 26 points and the Las Vegas Aces beat Indiana on the road, handing the Fever a club-record 14th straight loss.
Plum sank 9 of 12 shots with three 3-pointers as Las Vegas (22-8) beat Indiana (5-27) for a second time in three days. A'ja Wilson, Jackie Young and reserve Theresa Plaisance all scored 13.
Spin Cycle ๐<a href="https://twitter.com/_ajawilson22?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@_ajawilson22</a> // <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ALLIN?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ALLIN</a> <a href="https://t.co/0zMZI3ts3W">pic.twitter.com/0zMZI3ts3W</a>
—@LVAces
A pair of rookies paced the Fever. No. 2 overall pick Nalyssa Smith had 20 points and 13 rebounds, while second-rounder Destanni Henderson came off the bench to score 16 with four assists. Leading scorer Kelsey Mitchell didn't play after it was announced Saturday she'd miss the remainder of the season with a plantar fascia tear in her left foot.
Jefferson propels Lynx over Sparks
Moriah Jefferson scored 22 points, Sylvia Fowles had 16 points and nine rebounds and Minnesota beat Los Angeles.
Mo is finding her Spark ๐ฅ <a href="https://t.co/bKELT5mTLu">pic.twitter.com/bKELT5mTLu</a>
—@minnesotalynx
Jefferson shot 9 for 14 and Fowles made her first eight shots before missing on her final attempt for Minnesota (12-19). Kayla McBride added 15 points, Rachel Banham scored 10 points off the bench and Jessica Shepard grabbed 10 rebounds.
Nneka Ogwumike scored 23 points to lead Los Angeles (12-17). Brittney Sykes added 15 points, and Katie Lou Samuelson and Chennedy Carter each scored 10.