Sparks top Sun, dropping them out of first in standings

Published Aug. 29, 2019 10:04 a.m. ET

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Riquna Williams scored 21 points and the Los Angeles Sparks beat Connecticut 84-72 on Sunday, knocking the Sun out of the top spot in the WNBA standings.

Nneka Ogwumike added 16 points and reached the 4,000 point milestone early in the game. She is 38th player to reach that mark and the 14th fastest (244 games).

The Sparks (18-10) were playing their second game in a row with no injured or suspended players.

Candace Parker added 13 points and Chelsea Gray scored 12. Parker had five assists and passed Vickie Johnson (1,205) into 15th in the WNBA career assists leaders, finishing the game with 1,208.

The Sun (20-9) had a four-game winning streak snapped and dropped a game behind the Washington Mystics (21-8).

Courtney Williams had 18 points, nine rebounds and five assists, Jonquel Jones added 16 and 12 rebounds, and Shekinna Stricklen scored 12 points.

SKY 94, MERCURY 86

PHOENIX (AP) — Allie Quigley scored 24 points and passed 1,000 career made field goals to help the Sky beat the Mercury.

Courtney Vandersloot added nine points, nine rebounds and 13 assists for the Sky (18-11), who have won three straight and are in the hunt for a first-round bye in the playoffs.

Chicago pulled away with an 8-0 run sparked by Stephanie Dolson's layup with 2 minutes left and capped at 92-82 on Vandersloot's pair of free throws with a minute to go.

Diamond DeShields had 18 points, Cheyenne Parker added 14 points and 12 rebounds, and Astou Ndour had 13 points and 10 rebounds for the Sky.

Brittney Griner had a season-high 34 points for the Mercury (13-15). DeWanna Bonner added 18 points, 11 rebounds and five assists.

Diana Taurasi had 12 points in her return from a hamstring injury and a one-game suspension. In just her second game of the season, she made all eight of her free throws but struggled from the field with 2-of-13 shooting.

MYSTICS 101, LIBERTY 72

WASHINGTON (AP) — Elena Delle Donne had 22 points and 10 rebounds on Sunday and the Mystics led from the opening basket in a rout of the Liberty.

Washington (21-8) built a 31-14 advantage by the end of the first quarter and led by double digits the rest of the way.

Delle Donne was 8 of 13 from the field and the Mystics shot 53 percent overall. Tianna Hawkins added 15 points on 6-of-9 shooting. Emma Meesseman and Aerial Powers scored 14 points each.

Kia Nurse scored 24 points, making 6 of 10 from 3-point range for the Liberty (9-20). Bria Hartley and Tina Charles added 16 points apiece.

The Mystics' LaToya Sanders blocked three shots to pass 200 career blocked shots, finishing the game with 201. She finished with eight points.

FEVER 63, STORM 54

SEATTLE (AP) — Teaira McCowan had 22 points and 19 rebounds and the Fever kept their slim playoff hopes alive with a win over the Storm.

Seattle clinched a playoff spot earlier on Sunday with the benefit of the New York Liberty's loss to the Washington Mystics.

The Fever trail Phoenix by 3 ½ games for the final playoff spot and have five games left.

McCowan had the second best rebounding effort by any player in the WNBA this season. The Connecticut Sun's Jonquel Jones had 22 rebounds against the Sparks on May 31.

Kelsey Mitchell added 13 points and Candice Dupree scored 12 for the Fever (10-19). McCowan was 9 of 15 from the field and grabbed six offensive rebounds.

Natasha Howard had 14 points, nine rebounds, five assists for the Storm (15-14).

LYNX 98, ACES 77

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Napheesa Collier and Danielle Robinson scored 23 points each and the Lynx beat the Aces.

Sylvia Fowles added 14 points for the Lynx (15-15), who shot 59 percent from the field and reduced their playoff-clinching magic number to one with four games to go.

Minnesota took the lead for good late in the second half and opened the third quarter with a 20-4 run to build a 65-47 lead.

Sylvia Fowles added 14 points, Damiris Dantas scored 11 points and Odyssey Sims had 10 for the Lynx.

Jackie Young had 14 points to lead the Aces (19-11).

Las Vegas entered the game 1½ games out of the top two spots in the WNBA standings and missed an opportunity to close ground on the Connecticut Sun, who also lost on Sunday.

DREAM 77, WINGS 73

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Tiffany Hayes scored 23 points to help Atlanta hold off the Wings for the Dream's first back-to-back road wins of the season.

Elizabeth Williams gave the Dream (7-22) the lead for good on a putback with 1:05 left and Hayes scored a driving layup with 21 seconds left to make it 75-71.

Isabelle Harrison cut the deficit back to two for the Wings (9-20), but Hayes made two free throws with 10 seconds left to secure the win.

Atlanta started to pull away with a run late in the second quarter and extended the lead to 60-40 late in the third.

Dallas erased the deficit when Arike Ogunbowale's free throw with 2:01 left tied it at 71.

Ogunbowale scored 29 points for the Wings, her sixth straight 20-point game and 13th of the season, which passed Odyssey Sims' franchise record for most 20-point games in a season by a Dallas rookie.