Phoenix Mercury hand Seattle Storm first home loss of season
SEATTLE — DeWanna Bonner and Brittney Griner each scored 20 points to help the Phoenix Mercury beat Seattle 69-67 on Sunday, handing the Storm their first home loss of the season.
The Mercury (5-5) took the lead for good at 57-56 on Griner’s basket with 5:05 left in the game. That sparked a 10-0 run that ended at 65-56 on Bonner’s 3-pointer two minutes later.
The Storm (8-6) closed the deficit to 65-63 before the final minute, and Jordin Canada was fouled attempting a 3-pointer with 1.2 seconds left that gave her a chance to tie it at the foul line. But Canada missed the first attempt and the Mercury’s Leilani Mitchell secured the rebound after Canada intentionally missed the third one.
Sami Whitcomb had 13 points, Mercedes Russell and Alysha Clark added 12 each and Canada scored 10 for the Storm, who won their first five games at home.
Sparks 94, Sky 69
LOS ANGELES — Riquna Williams scored 19 points and Los Angeles routed Chicago.
Los Angeles went on a 17-4 run in the third quarter to lead 67-42 on Tierra Ruffin-Pratt’s 3-pointer with
3:25 left in the period. Chicago closed the deficit to 8065, but the Sparks closed the game with a 14-4 spurt to match their largest lead of the game.
Los Angeles took the lead for good at 24-21 on the last basket of the first quarter and pulled away with an 8-0 run to start the second.
Chelsea Gray added 13 points, Candace Parker scored 12 and Sydney Wiese 11. The Sparks shot 49% from the field to win back-to-back games for the third time this season.
Diamond DeShields led the Sky (6-6) with 23 points. Kahleah Copper scored 12 points and Allie Quigley added 10.
Wings 89, Lynx 86
ARLINGTON, Texas — Arike Ogunbowale scored 15 of her 19 points in the second half, bouncing back from one of the worst shooting games in WNBA history, to help Dallas rally over Minnesota.
Ogunbowale finished 7 of 12 from the field, including 3 of 4 from 3-point range. The fifth overall pick in the 2019 draft was coming off a 2-of-23 shooting night on Friday night’s 69-68 loss to New York — the worst percentage in league history for any player attempting at least 20 shots.
The win ended Dallas’ 12-game losing streak to Minnesota. The Wings’ last victory against Minnesota came when the franchise was located in Tulsa, an 8678 victory on June 21, 2015.
Ogunbowale tied it for the Wings (4-7) at 84-all on a 3-pointer with 53 seconds left and Kayla Thornton hit another 3 with 35 seconds left to give Dallas the lead for good at 87-86. Dallas had been down 14 points to Minnesota.
Kaela Davis drew a charging foul against Odyssey Sims with 14 seconds left. The Wings made 2 of 4 from the foul line while the Lynx missed a pair of field goal attempts in the final two seconds including a half court heave at the buzzer.
Dallas scored 13 straight points to lead 73-69 early in the four quarter. The Lynx (6-6) retook the lead with a 7-0 run and the teams traded the lead five more times in the final 2 1/2 minutes.
Sylvia Fowles led Minnesota with 23 points.
Liberty 74, Dream 58
ATLANTA — Tina Charles had 17 of her 24 points in the first half and New York Liberty beat Atlanta.
The Liberty (5-7) pulled away with 10 straight points to start the second quarter and led 39-28 at halftime.
Renee Montgomery made a pair of 3-pointers to help Atlanta cut the deficit to 56-48 at the end of the third quarter, but the Dream (2-8) would get no closer in the fourth.
Brittany Boyd scored 15 points and No. 2 overall pick Asia Durr added 11 points for New York in her return to her hometown. Reshanda Gray had eight points and 15 rebounds.
New York has gone 5-3 after opening the season with four straight losses.
Brittney Sykes was 4 of 5 from 3-point range and tied a season high with 18 points for the Dream. Renee Montgomery added 11 points and Elizabeth Williams scored 10.