Hamby, Cambage combine for 41 points, Aces hold off Dream
Sims helps Lynx to 89-73 win over Liberty
LAS VEGAS, Aug 14, (AP): Dearica Hamby had 23 points and 16 rebounds, Liz Cambage added 18 points, 10 rebounds and six assists and the Las Vegas Aces held off the Atlanta Dream 94-90.
Kelsey Plum sank a pull-up jumper from the free-throw line with 15.8 seconds left to give Las Vegas a 92-88 lead. Tiffany Hayes was off on a long 3-pointer at the other end and Kayla McBride sealed it at the line.
McBride scored 21 points, with five 3-pointers, for Las Vegas (17-9). Jackie Young chipped in with 17 points and Plum was the lone Aces starter not in double figures with nine.
Atlanta (5-20) has lost 10 straight games, its longest streak since a 4-30 season in 2010.
Jessica Breland scored 18 points and Marie Gulich had her first career double-double with 15 points and 12 rebounds for Atlanta. Hayes was just 2 of 12 from the field for 10 points after setting a career high with 34 on Saturday at Indiana.
Lynx 89, Liberty 73
In White Plains, New York, Odyssey Sims had 17 points, Stephanie Talbot added 16 points and the Lynx beat the Liberty.
Minnesota led 40-29 before New York closed the half on an 11-2 run with seven straight points from Rebecca Allen. She scored a franchisebest 20 points in the quarter – just two points shy of the WNBA record.
Minnesota jumped ahead in the third quarter, scoring 20 of the first 31 points, and cruised.
Napheesa Collier and Danielle Robinson each had 14 points for Minnesota (13-12). Sylvia Fowles had seven points and eight rebounds in 24 minutes.
Allen finished with a career-high 28 points for New York (8-16), which has lost six straight and nine of 10. Allen was 11 of 15 from the field, including 6 of 7 from 3-point range. The fifthyear player set her previous high of 21 points last Wednesday.
Tanisha Wright had six assists for New York to move into a tie with Temeka Johnson for 10th all-time in the WNBA. Tina Charles was held to seven points on 2-of-9 shooting, and Asia Durr and Amanda Zahui B. did not play because of injury.
The WNBA has suspended Mercury center Brittney Griner three games for her role in a fight in the Dallas-Phoenix game Saturday that resulted in six players getting ejected.
The league punished Griner on Tuesday for throwing punches, escalating the incident and pushing Wings forward Kayla Thornton’s face with an open hand.
Dallas’ Kristine Anigwe was suspended two games for instigating the initial altercation with Griner and taking an open-handed swing at her. Thornton also was suspended two games for her role in the scuffle.
Phoenix’s Diana Taurasi and Dallas’ Kaela Davis were suspended a game apiece for leaving the bench area during the altercation.
With 6:25 left in the fourth quarter, Griner and Anigwe got tangled up in the lane and a scuffle ensued. Griner had to be restrained by an official at midcourt, where she was still trying to get at Dallas players.