Lynx honour Augustus but fall to Sparks in final seconds

Nneka Ogwumike’s putback of her personal miss with 7.3 seconds left lifted the Los Angeles Sparks to an 85-83 win over the Minnesota Lynx on Sunday.

Rachel Banham’s jumper with 26.6 seconds to go pulled Minnesota even for simply the second time. The sport was additionally tied at 65 after the Lynx erased a 17-point first-half deficit.

Ogwumike completed with 16 factors. Chennedy Carter led the Sparks (4-6), who had misplaced six of seven, with 20 factors. Liz Cambage added 15 factors and Katie Lou Samuelson 13.

With Ogwumike and Cambage each making 6 of 10 pictures, the Sparks shot 52 per cent.

The Lynx (2-7), who retired Seimone Augustus’ No. 33 jersey earlier than the sport, had been led by Kayla McBride with 19 factors however her last-second jumped went off the rim.

Chatham, Ont., native Bridget Carleton added 5 factors and two assists whereas additionally amassing 4 rebounds for Minnesota.

Augustus was a key participant on Minnesota’s 4 WNBA championship groups. The No. 1 total pick of LSU within the 2006 draft performed 14 seasons with the Lynx earlier than spending one yr with Los Angeles, the place she is now an assistant coach. She retired because the No. 10 scorer in league historical past with 6,005 factors.

Loyd powers Storm previous Liberty

Jewell Loyd scored 22 factors, Jantel Lavender had a double-double and the Seattle Storm routed New York 92-61 on Sunday in Seattle, the seventh-straight loss for the Liberty.

Breanna Stewart had 14 factors, eight rebounds, six steals and 5 assists for Seattle, which beat the Liberty for the second time in three days regardless of having three gamers miss each video games in protocol, together with Sue Hen.

Lavender had 12 factors and 10 rebounds. Briann January additionally had 12 factors and Kaela Davis, in her first sport with the Storm (5-3) had 11 factors.

Seattle outscored New York 26-8 within the second quarter to guide 49-23 on the half.

The worst taking pictures staff within the league at 39.1 per cent, the Storm went 13-of-24 from three-point vary and shot 49.3 per cent total. The starters had been 28-of-49.

Han Xu led the Liberty (1-7) with 13 factors and Natasha Howard added 10. New York shot 33.8 per cent and had 17 turnovers.

Dream blow out Mercury

Kristy Wallace had 17 factors to guide 5 Atlanta gamers scoring in double figures and the Dream beat the visiting Phoenix Mercury 82-54 on Sunday in Atlanta.

The 28-point margin of victory was Atlanta’s largest since beating the Los Angeles Sparks by 30 in 2015.

Erica Wheeler scored 16 factors, Cheyenne Parker had 12 factors and 10 rebounds, and Rhyne Howard had 12 factors with six assists for Atlanta (5-3). Aari McDonald completed with 10 factors, eight rebounds, 5 assists and two steals.

The Dream by no means trailed, took at 12-point lead on the finish of the primary quarter and restricted Phoenix (2-6) to only eight factors within the second to take a 50-23 lead into halftime.

Diamond DeShields, the one Mercury participant to attain in double figures, completed with 23 factors. Skylar Diggins-Smith (19.2 factors per sport) and Diana Taurasi (16.0) — the staff’s high scorers — mixed for 9 factors on 3-of-17 taking pictures.

Phoenix has misplaced 5 consecutive video games. The membership has been lacking star gamers Brittney Griner, who has been detained in Russia since February on drug prices, and Canadian Kia Nurse, out with a long-term knee harm sustained final season.