Fowles sparks Minnesota’s OT victory

Kelsey Plum didn’t want to lament the final defensive possession of the Aces’ 90-89 loss Friday night to the Minnesota Lynx.

“It’s tough. We thought ‘Maybe we foul, but we don’t want to put them on the line,’ ” she said after scoring 15 and keying a rally. “You could always go back and say what you would have done or could have done. Honestly, we shouldn’t have let it get to that point.’

The Aces erased a ninepoint deficit late in regulation at Target Center in Minneapolis but fell in overtime to end a five-game winning streak. Faced with a three-second differential between the shot and game clocks, the Aces elected not to foul — allowing Lynx guard Layshia Clarendon to shoot a 3-pointer as the shot clock expired.

Minnesota center Sylvia Fowles tipped the ball out to the perimeter and the game clock expired without the Aces having an opportunity to tie the game or take the lead.

“We felt like we wanted to play defense and get a stop. We did get the stop. We just didn’t get the rebound,” Aces coach Bill Laimbeer said.

“We thought it was our best opportunity to go that method. It just didn’t work out.”

Laimbeer was concerned that the Aces (10-4) would lack energy after an eightday layoff, but that didn’t seem to be an issue in the early going. A’ja Wilson willed her way to the basket and the free-throw line en route to 19 first-half points and a 48-44 halftime lead for the Aces. But the tempo slowed in the second half and with it, the Aces’ offense.

Minnesota (7-7) crowded Wilson and teammate

Liz Cambage, who had 18 points and a career-high 20 rebounds against Lynx center Sylvia Fowles. But Fowles was also impressive, posting 30 points, 14 rebounds, four assists, four steals and four blocks.

Her dominance coupled with Napheesa Collier’s savvy play helped the Lynx secure an 82-73 lead with 3:11 to play. Yet the Aces flexed their grit with a timely 9-0 run. Plum scored seven straight points at the rim and free-throw line and Wilson made two free throws to tie the game with two seconds left.

Wilson finished with 28 points, 14 rebounds and four steals.

Overtime, though, belonged to Minnesota and Clarendon, who scored or assisted on three of her team’s baskets in the extra session.