A trophy and a win for MVP Fowles

MINNEAPOLIS — In the precious few minutes newly crowned MVP Sylvia Fowles sat on the bench during Game 2 of the WNBA semifinals, she allowed herself to soak up the raucous atmosphere of the University of Minnesota’s Williams Arena and marvel at just how loud 9,000 fans can get.

Fowles scored 25 points to lead the Lynx to a 93-83 victory over the Washington Mystics on Thursday night, putting Minnesota up 2-0 in the best-offive series.

Fowles made 12 of 16 shots and the Lynx shot 51 percent from the floor to take a 2-0 lead in the best-of-five series. Maya Moore had 22 points and five assists, and Rebekkah Brunson added 11 points and 10 rebounds in a back-and-forth game at the old college arena affectionately nicknamed “The Barn,” where the Lynx are playing while Target Center undergoes renovations.

“When you sit on the bench, you definitely hear all the noise bouncing off the walls and the ceiling,” she said.

The fans had reason to cheer in Game 2.

Elena Delle Donne and Kristi Toliver each scored 25 points for the Mystics. Washington led by two with five minutes to go, but was outscored 20-8 the rest of the way by a Lynx team that has had the same core during its five trips to the WNBA Finals over the past six years.

“You can tell the difference between Minnesota and us,” Toliver said. “They’re a welloiled machine.”

Fowles was given the MVP trophy about two hours before tip-off, accepting it in a tearful news conference as she reflected on 10 years in the league. Though some of her teammates had trouble finding the mark in the first half, Fowles powered her way to the basket over and over again to keep the Lynx in the game.

She was particularly impressive on two straight possessions in the fourth quarter after the Lynx fell behind 72-71. Fowles rose to snatch two offensive rebounds in traffic, then scored through contact to put Minnesota back in front. Her second one jump-started a 9-0 run that put the Lynx up 82-75, and they did not look back.

“That’s why she’s the MVP,” Delle Donne said. Sparks 86, Mercury 72: Candace Parker had 24 points and 13 rebounds — showing no effects of an ankle injury — to help host Los Angeles prevail in Game 2 of the semifinal series.

Parker injured her ankle in the warm-ups before the Sparks’ Game 1 victory, but she still played in that game and returned to her usual form in Game 2 the Pyramid at Long Beach State.

Stanford alum Nneka Ogwumike added 18 points and nine rebounds for Los Angeles.