Liberty remains in the playoff race with a massive victory over Wings.
Minnesota lynx takes over the resilient Phoenix Mercury with a remarkable victory as Sylvia Fowles and Aerial Powers outplayed them. Sylvia claimed 16 points and Aerial Powers held 10 of 14 points in the final quarter to complete a three-game series sweep.
Atlanta, New York, Phoenix, and Minnesota (14-20) are now tied for seventh place, fighting it out for the final two playoff positions. To finish the regular season, the Lynx play against Seattle on Friday and Connecticut on Sunday. Dallas plays Phoenix (14-20) on Friday, and Chicago plays Phoenix on Sunday.
Aerial Powers scored a layup in the midst of traffic to put Minnesota ahead 78-74, and she later added two free throws to give them a six-point advantage. On a jump shot from the free-throw line with 35.2 seconds left, Moriah Jefferson gave Minnesota the lead, 84-77.
Kayla McBride added 18 points followed by Jessica Shepard who scored 15 points and 12 rebounds for Minnesota. Napheesa Collier, in her second game, made a remarkable comeback after returning from giving birth to her daughter, with 11 points and Jefferson had six points and 12 assists.
Phoenix Mercury made an unexpected announcement just before the tip that Skylar Diggins-Smith will not play citing personal reasons. Early on, Diana Tuarasi was removed from the side. Phoenix’s primary scorer was replaced by Sophie Cunningham, who finished with 24 points and tied a career-high with six 3-pointers. Shey Peddy added his best five 3-pointers and finished with 21 points and 10 rebounds. Megan Gustafson scored a career-high 15 points, and Diamond DeShields had 10 assists.
Cunningham scored three points in a row to give Phoenix a 60-59 lead going into the fourth quarter. Early in the fourth, Cunningham and Peddy both scored a 3-pointer on successive possessions for a 66-61 lead.
Comments