Connecticut Sun complete series sweep of Los Angeles Sparks to reach WNBA FInals
Las Vegas Aces beat Washington Mystics in Game 3 to stave off elimination
Monday 23 September 2019 08:33, UK
The Connecticut Sun beat the Los Angeles Sparks 78-56 to complete a 3-0 series sweep and advance to the WNBA Finals.
Connecticut Sun 78-56 Los Angeles Sparks
Jasmine Thomas had 29 points and Courtney Williams added 17 points and 13 rebounds to lead Connecticut to a 78-56 win in Game 3 of the WNBA semi-finals and give the Sun a sweep of the series on Sunday night.
Connecticut advance to the WNBA Finals for the first time since 2005, where they will play either Washington or Las Vegas.
Nneka Ogwumike had 17 points to lead the Sparks. Candace Parker was held to just four points. She played just 11 minutes in the game. She sat out the second quarter and took one shot in the third quarter before going to the bench with 5:54 left. She didn't return to the game.
Thomas scored 14 of her 29 points in the third quarter on 6-for-7 shooting to lead the Sun to a 63-44 lead heading into the final quarter.
Thomas made big shot after big shot for the Sun. She had a team-high 11 points in the first half on 3-of-4 shots - all three-pointers. She took the Sun's first shot of the third quarter, a three-pointer, and made it.
Williams scored the first seven points for the Sun. The Sparks starters combined for just seven points in the first quarter and were a combined 3-for-15 from the field.
The Sun shot 43.8 per cent in the first half while Los Angeles were just 34.9 per cent from the field. The Sparks made just 1-of-13 three-pointers in the first half.
Washington Mystics 75-92 Las Vegas Aces
Liz Cambage scored 28 points to lead the Las Vegas Aces to a 92-75 victory over the Washington Mystics in Game 3 of the WNBA semi-finals.
The fourth-seeded Aces staved off elimination after losing the first two games of the series in Washington DC. The Mystics had their eight-game winning streak snapped, as they hadn't lost a game since dropping an 85-78 decision in Chicago on August 23.
A'Ja Wilson added 21 points and eight rebounds, while Kayla McBride had 18 points.
League MVP Elena Delle Donne led the Mystics with 22 points. Kristi Toliver added 14 points, while Aerial Powers chipped in 13.
After falling behind 33-31 midway through the second quarter, the Aces used a 12-0 run in a four-minute span to open up a 10-point lead and never looked back.
The Aces carried the momentum into the second half, opening the third quarter on a 13-6 run.
The Mystics, who set a franchise high with 103 points in Game 2 and had scored at least 90 points in eight of their last 10 games, fell to 0-6 when scoring less than 79 points this season. Washington, who are 26-0 when scoring 85 or more points this season, finished the game hitting just 38.6 per cent (27-of-70) from the floor.
The Aces, who had lost seven of nine prior to their series-saving win, finished 35-of-72 (48.6 per cent) from the floor, including 6-of-14 from three-point range.
After coming off the bench in the first two games of the series, Kelsey Plum resumed her starting role at the point for Las Vegas. Plum, who missed a potential game-tying shot at the end of Game 1, facilitated the offense well, dishing nine assists while scoring nine points.
WNBA Sixth Woman of the Year Dearica Hamby, who averaged a career-high 11.0 points during the regular season, continued her stellar play off the bench for the Aces. Hamby hit 4-of-5 from the floor, including 2-for-2 from three-point range for 10 points. Hamby is now 14-of-22 from the floor over the first three games of the series.
Cambage slammed the door on any thought of a Mystics comeback, as she scored eight of the Aces' first 11 points in the fourth quarter before coach Bill Laimbeer sat her with the game well in hand and Las Vegas leading by 92-70.
