WNBA: Napheesa Collier leads Minnesota Lynx past Phoenix Mercury for third straight win
Friday night wins for Lynx, Wings and Sparks
Saturday 22 August 2020 13:29, UK
Napheesa Collier starred as the Minnesota Lynx beat the Phoenix Mercury, while Candace Parker helped the Los Angeles Sparks past the Atlanta Dream in overtime.
Minnesota Lynx 90-80 Phoenix Mercury
Napheesa Collier recorded 20 points, nine rebounds and six assists, while rookie Crystal Dangerfield scored 19 points as the Lynx beat the shorthanded Mercury 90-80 on Friday night.
Collier also had four steals and two blocks for Minnesota, who has won three straight. Dangerfield's three-point play gave Minnesota an 81-73 lead with 3:16 remaining.
Damiris Dantas scored 13 points in the first half after making all five of her field goals and Bridget Carleton added 12 as Minnesota led 51-42. Dantas finished with 19 points and Carleton had 14 points and a career-high six assists.
Bria Hartley led Phoenix with 24 points and Skylar Diggins-Smith added 21, while Diana Taurasi was held to 14 points on three of 12 shooting.
Phoenix center Brittney Griner missed her first game of the season due to personal reasons. She leads the team in points (17.7) and rebounds (7.5).
Washington Mystics 92-101 Dallas Wings (OT)
Arike Ogunbowale had 24 points and nine assists, and the Dallas Wings held off the Washington Mystics 101-92 in overtime on Friday night.
Marina Mabrey gave Dallas a 65-42 lead with 7:23 remaining in the third quarter, but the Wings were outscored 23-12 in the fourth, capped by Myisha Hines-Allen tying basket with 1:04 left.
Dallas opened the overtime session on a 10-1 run as Washington didn't make their first field goal until there were 21.2 seconds left.
Isabelle Harrison added 19 points, and Kayla Thornton had 17 points and 10 rebounds for Dallas (5-8). Mabrey also scored 17 points and Ogunbowale made all 12 of her free throws.
Hines-Allen scored a career-high 35 points with 12 rebounds for Washington (4-8). Ariel Atkins had 18 points and nine rebounds.
Los Angeles Sparks 93-85 Atlanta Dream (OT)
Chelsea Gray scored 20 points, Candace Parker tied it in regulation and drew a key charge in overtime as the Sparks rallied to beat the Dream 93-85.
Courtney Williams made a free-throw line jumper with 3.7 seconds left in regulation to give Atlanta a 79-77 lead. After a timeout, Parker took an inbound pass and drove the lane to tie it with a layup at the buzzer.
Glory Johnson opened the extra session with a long jumper, but Atlanta didn't score again until Betnijah Laney's basket with 35.9 seconds left.
Parker had 17 points, nine rebounds and five assists for Los Angeles, who have won six straight games. Sydney Wiese added 15 points, Nneka Ogwumike scored 14 and Brittney Sykes 12.
Johnson paced Atlanta with 23 points on 10 of 16 shooting. Williams and Shekinna Stricklen each scored 16 points. Atlanta have lost 10 straight since beating New York on July 31.
