Hamby’s steal, 3-pointer lift Aces over Sky 93-92

Sparks advance to semis

LAS VEGAS, Sept 16, (AP): Dearica Hamby hit a shot from a few steps inside half-court with 5 seconds left to lift Las Vegas to a 93-92 win over the Chicago Sky in the second round of the WNBA playoffs.

With the Aces down by two, Hamby stole a pass from Courtney Vandersloot, took a dribble over half-court near the sideline and threw up her shot that went in. The Sky had one last chance, but Astou Ndour’s 3-pointer from the corner after a timeout was off.

Las Vegas will play Washington in the best-of-five semifinals that begin Tuesday.

Liz Cambage had 23 points, 17 rebounds and six blocks, Hamby finished with 17 points.

Hamby made a short basket to give Las Vegas a five-point lead with 3:32 left in the fourth quarter but Diamond DeShields and Vandersloot each made a layup before Ndour, who made just 14 3-pointers in the regular season, hit a corner 3 with 24.4 seconds to play to give Chicago a 92-90 lead.

On the ensuing possession, Vandersloot poked the ball off the leg of A’ja Wilson, who lost it out of bounds. Vandersloot then had the ball in the back-court and was under pressure when Hamby stole it and hit her deep runner.Diamond DeShields had 23 points, Ndour scored 17 and Kahleah Copper 16 for No. 5 seed Chicago.

Sparks 92, Storm 69 In Los Angeles, Chelsea Gray had 21 points and eight assists, Candace Parker added 11 points, 10 rebounds and six assists, and the Sparks beat Seattle to eliminate the defending champions Storm from the WNBA playoffs.

No. 3 seed Los Angeles advance to play second-seeded Connecticut, who earned a double-bye to the semifinals. The best-of-five series begins Tuesday in Connecticut. The WNBA said that they will pay for charter flights for the winners of the second round games to fly east so that the teams can have a full day to prepare for the first game of the semifinals.

Natasha Howard gave the Storm their first lead since early in the second quarter with a 3-pointer that made it 56-55 with 3:11 left in the third but Parker answered with a layup, Gray hit a pull-up jumper and, after a short basket by Seattle’s Jewell Loyd, the Sparks scored 21 of the next 24 points to pull away for good.

Hamby

Nneka Ogwumike scored 17 points and Riquna Williams added 11 for the Sparks (22-12).

Natasha Howard led the Storm with 20 points, 11 rebounds and four steals.

Maya Moore startled basketball when she stepped away from the WNBA before the season. She has spent a lot of her time trying to help a family friend overturn a conviction.

Jonathan Irons has been incarcerated since 1997, convicted in the nonfatal shooting of a homeowner during a burglary. He is serving a 50-year sentence but has asked a judge to reopen his case. He is scheduled for a hearing Oct 9 in Missouri.

Moore plans to be in the courtroom. She said there was no physical evidence – no DNA, fingerprints or footprints – linking Irons to the crime.

“I’ve known Jonathan for over a decade, and I’m fighting to make sure his case gets a fair review. I’m trying to call attention to the prosecutorial misconduct that I believe resulted in his being wrongfully sent to prison for 50 years as a teenager,” Moore told The Associated Press by phone Sunday night. “This hearing will hopefully give us a perfect opportunity to show why this conviction lacks integrity for so many different reasons.” Moore has kept a low profile during her time away from basketball. She had done only one interview , talking to The New York Times over the course of a few months to chronicle Irons’ story.

Irons, then 16, had been seen with a gun in the St Louis suburb of O’Fallon on the evening of Jan 14, 1997, according to court records cited by the Times. The victim returned home and confronted a burglar, the records said. Shots were fired and the victim was hit in the right temple. A week later, Irons was arrested. The detective in the case said Irons confessed, but the detective wasn’t available to be cross-examined at trial because he was ill. He has since died.

Moore spent time over the weekend in Washington speaking to the Congressional Black Caucus. She started a petition on Change.org to further spread the word about Irons.

“Maya’s petition has become one of the fastest-growing petitions on the site this week, as thousands of people respond to her call for a fair trial for Jonathan Irons, and a fairer justice system for all Americans,” said Michael Jones, managing director of Change.org.

“At the moment. It’s a wild journey I’m on.”

In this Aug 30, 2017 file photo, Minnesota Lynx’s Maya Moore (left), shoots against Indiana Fever’s Jazmon Gwathmey during the first half of a WNBA

basketball game in Indianapolis. (AP)