LEAGUES News
Lynx beat Sun, clinch home court for playoffs with record 31st win
UNCASVILLE, Conn. (AP) — Alanna Smith and reserve DiJonai Carrington scored 18 points apiece and the Minnesota Lynx clinched the regular-season title with a 94-70 win over the Connecticut Sun on Saturday night.
Minnesota (31-8) also set a franchise record for wins. The Lynx won 30 games last season in a 40-game schedule — four fewer than this year.
Napheesa Collier added 17 points and nine rebounds for the Lynx, Courtney Williams had 15 points and eight boards and Kayla McBride had 15 points and six assists.
Minnesota was 15 for 28 on 3-pointers with McBride hitting five and Smith four. The Lynx had 27 assists on 34 baskets with 10 different players getting at least one.
Tina Charles and Marina Mabrey had 14 points apiece for the Sun (10-28) and Aaliyah Edwards 11.
Natisha Hiedemann hit a jumper to give the Lynx a 21-19 lead after one quarter and they dominated the second quarter to take a 42-29 lead at the half.
Williams reached 4,000 career points as she had 11 in the half, hitting all three of her 3s.
Minnesota got off to a 9-2 start in the second half, taking a 51-31 lead on Collier's layup. The Sun kept battling back, the closest was 11 when Lindsay Allen found Edwards alone under the basket to cut it to 61-50. Then Carrington drained a buzzer-beating 3 and the Lynx were up 66-54 entering the fourth quarter.
The Sun never got closer than 12 and the Lynx hit four 3s to pull away down the stretch.
___
