Minnesota holds on for fourth title

MVP Fowles grabs 20 rebounds as Lynx tops Sparks in Game 5 battle

MINNEAPOLIS — Sylvia Fowles had 17 points and broke her own WNBA Finals record by grabbing 20 rebounds to lead the Minnesota Lynx to its fourth championship in seven years with an 85-76 victory Wednesday night against the Los Angeles Sparks in Game 5.

Maya Moore had 18 points and 10 rebounds and hit a huge runner with 26 seconds to play, Lindsay Whalen had 17 points and eight assists and Seimone Augustus added 14 points, 6 assists and 6 rebounds to help the Lynx move into a tie with the Houston Comets for most titles in league history.

“I think every time you do this, it gets a little more special because it gets a little harder,” Whalen said. “And more meaningful because you know it’s not easy. It’s not something we try to take for granted ever.”

Candace Parker had 19 points, 15 rebounds and 5 assists for the Sparks, who were looking to become the first repeat champions in 15 years.

Chelsea Gray had 15 points and eight assists, but Nneka Ogwumike fouled out with 5:29 to play and finished with 11 points. Los Angeles turned it over 17 times.

With a team that had the makings of a new dynasty bearing down on it, the Lynx responded to reassert its own.

Minnesota has been in the Finals in six of the past seven years and now find itself in the company of Cynthia Cooper, Sheryl Swoopes and the Comets that dominated the league’s early days.

“They wanted to take their place next to the Houston Comets,” coach Cheryl Reeve said. “So they did it.”

The game the Lynx rule now is bigger, faster and deeper and the proud core of Moore, Rebekkah Brunson, Augustus and Whalen have had to earn everything they’ve accomplished.

They led by 12 in the third quarter, but Los Angeles pushed right back, trimming the deficit to four at the start of the fourth.

Reeve has always regretted not getting Fowles more involved late in Game 5 a year ago, and they made sure to force-feed their MVP this time around to close the door.

“We’re not a team and I’m not a person to make excuses,” Sparks coach Brian Agler said. “We just didn’t do what we needed to do to keep her off the glass.”