WNBA: Kelsey Mitchell sets record as Indiana Fever cruise to win at Sun
Monday 9 September 2019 10:05, UK
Kelsey Mitchell hit a WNBA regular-season record nine three-pointers, scoring 38 points to help the Indiana Fever beat the Connecticut Sun 104-76 on Sunday.
Connecticut Sun 76-104 Indiana Fever
Second-year guard Mitchell had 30 points in the first half and broke the mark of eight held by five different players. She equaled the nine threes that Kristi Toliver hit in the 2017 playoffs.
The Fever (13-21) finished the season on a high note, winning their last three games. They have the second-best chance to get the number one pick in the draft lottery.
The Sun (23-11), locked into the number two seed and a double-bye in the playoffs, played their starters less than half the game. Connecticut became just the fourth franchise in league history to start the same lineup for every game and just the second (joining the 2010 Liberty) to do it for a 34-game season.
Rookie Teaira McCowan added 17 points and nine rebounds. She finished with 304 rebounds on the season, breaking Erlana Larkins' 2014 franchise record by one.
New York Liberty 71-63 Atlanta Dream
Tina Charles scored 14 points, Amanda Zahui B added a double-double and the New York Liberty topped the Atlanta Dream 71-63 in a battle between the bottom two teams on Sunday, the last day of the WNBA season.
The Liberty (10-24) had an 18-11 advantage in the third quarter to stretch a 44-38 halftime lead to 63-49 and was never seriously challenged by the Dream (8-26).
Zahui B had 13 points and 11 rebounds. Charles had eight rebounds and closed the season with 156 career double-doubles, one behind Lisa Leslie, who is second on the WNBA all-time list.
Brittney Sykes had 12 points for the Dream and Jessica Breland had 10 points and 12 rebounds.
Chicago Sky 86-100 Washington Mystics
Elena Delle Donne scored 25 points, making WNBA history along the way, and the regular-season champion Washington Mystics raced past the Chicago Sky 100-86 on Sunday.
She became the first player in WNBA history to shoot over 50 per cent from the field (220 of 427), 40 per cent from three-point range (52 of 121), and 90 per cent from the foul line (114 of 117). Her free throw percent of 97.4 is a record for a player with at least 100 attempts.
The Mystics (26-8), who lost to Seattle in the finals last year, have a double-bye into the semifinals and home court advantage throughout the playoffs. The Sky (20-14) are the number five seed and play number eight Phoenix at home on Wednesday in the single-elimination opening round of the playoffs.
Chicago's Courtney Vandersloot had six assists to become the first player in league history to reach 300 in a season, which she did exactly, and the first player to average at least nine assists a game for a season (9.1).
Seattle Storm 78-64 Dallas Wings
Natasha Howard and Jewell Loyd combined to score 30 of their 38 points in the first half and the Seattle Storm beat the Dallas Wings 78-64, helping them clinch the number six seed in playoffs.
The Storm, the defending champions, will host number seven seed Minnesota in a single-elimination first-round game on Wednesday. The Lynx lost at Los Angeles and the Storm have the tiebreaker between the two teams.
Seattle has won three in a row overall, and four straight at home, against the Lynx.
Howard had 16 of her 22 points in the first half and Loyd had 14 of her 16 before the break.
Las Vegas Aces 98-89 Phoenix Mercury
Liz Cambage had 21 points and A'ja Wilson scored eight of her 20 points in the final three-plus minutes to help the Las Vegas Aces beat the Phoenix Mercury 98-89 on Sunday, clinching the No. 4 seed in the playoffs.
The Aces, who missed the playoffs each of the last four years earned a bye in Wednesday's first round and will host a second-round game on September 15.
Wilson hit a jumper to tie the game at 89 and spark an 11-0 closing run by Las Vegas (21-13) as the Mercury went 0 for 5 from the field and committed three turnovers over the final three minutes.
Brittney Griner led Phoenix (15-19) with 24 points.
The Mercury have lost four in a row and finished with their lowest win total since going 7-27 in 2012.
Minnesota Lynx 68-77 Los Angeles Sparks
Riquna Williams hit four three-pointers and finished with 15 points to help the Los Angeles Sparks beat Minnesota 77-68 on Sunday, ruining the Lynx's chance of hosting a playoff game in the first round.
The Sparks have a first-round bye in the playoffs, which begin on Wednesday, and will host the worst remaining seed in the second round.
The Lynx (18-16), who had a five-game win streak snapped, will be the number seven seed because of their loss and Seattle's win over Dallas. Minnesota has lost three in a row against the Storm overall and four straight in Seattle.
Los Angeles (22-12), which won the WNBA title in 2016 and lost to Minnesota in the 2017 Finals, has won three in a row overall and 14 straight home games.
Napheesa Collier led Minnesota with 16 points and career-high tying 11 rebounds
