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    • Napheesa Collier ties WNBA playoff record for points, Lynx sweep Mercury; Sun eliminates Fever
    Washington

    Napheesa Collier ties WNBA playoff record for points, Lynx sweep Mercury; Sun eliminates Fever

    Madoc Meredith Posted on

    Napheesa Collier scored 42 points, setting the WNBA playoff record for most points in a game, and the Minnesota Lynx defeated the Phoenix Mercury 101-88 on Wednesday night in Minneapolis.

    Collier tied Breanna Stewart and Angel McCoughtry for the record 42 points when she made one of two free throws with 3:18 left in the fourth quarter. It was one of just two missed shots from the free throw line in 14 attempts for Collier, who was substituted with 58.3 seconds left.

    Collier, who scored a career-high 38 points in Game 1, became the first player in WNBA history to score 38 or more points in two consecutive playoff games. She also set a WNBA record for most points (80) in two playoff games. Collier scored 38 points in Game 2 with 5:55 left in the fourth quarter.

    Minnesota will play on Sunday against Connecticut, which advanced to the semifinals for the sixth consecutive year after an 87-81 win over Indiana on Wednesday morning.

    Kayla McBride added 15 points and Bridget Carleton and Alanna Smith each scored 12 points for Minnesota. Courtney Williams had 11 points.

    Brittney Griner scored 24 points for Phoenix and Diana Taurasi finished with 10 before being fouled out with 2:34 left. Taurasi left the game to a standing ovation from the Minnesota crowd before Collier came to the Mercury bench to briefly shake the hand of her fellow UConn star.

    Taurasi has not announced if this is her final year in the WNBA, but the Phoenix Mercury honored her at their final home game of the regular season.

    Collier scored 11 of Minnesota’s 21 points in the first quarter after making 5 of 6 shots. Collier finished the half with 23 points on 8 of 12 shooting to help Minnesota take a 49-47 lead into the break. The rest of her teammates combined to shoot 10 of 26.

    The referees reviewed a physical play in the third quarter involving Carleton and Phoenix guard Sophie Cunningham, who was given a Flagrant 1 foul after the review. Williams also received a technical foul. After everything was cleared, McBride sank a completely open three-pointer that gave Minnesota a 58-53 lead.

    Williams gave Minnesota its first double-digit lead of the second half, 72-60, with 2:17 left in the third quarter. The Lynx led by double digits throughout the fourth quarter.

    Minnesota improved its record against the Mercury to 5-1 this season.

    For Collier, it was her third consecutive playoff game with 30 points, tying her with A’ja Wilson, who scored 31 points in Game 3 against Connecticut last season to snap the longest winning streak in WNBA history.

    Sun eliminates Caitlin Clark, Fever

    Alyssa Thomas and the Connecticut Sun were happy to finally complete an opening round at home in two games.

    Thomas had 19 points and 13 assists to help the Sun knock Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever out of the playoffs with an 87-81 win in Uncasville, Connecticut, on Wednesday night.

    Since the league changed its playoff format in 2022, the Sun have had to win a crucial third away game in the first round to advance, which they did in both years.

    This time they did it at home.

    “We finally settled in and took advantage of the home-court advantage,” said Thomas, who had a triple-double in the first game. “We’re ready. We were tested tonight and it wasn’t pretty, but that’s the nature of the playoffs. We got a gutsy win. We’re hungry and ready. … We’re ready for what’s to come on the playoff journey.”

    The third-seeded Sun will now face Minnesota in the semifinals, which begin on Sunday.

    Clark played much better in Game 2 than she did in her postseason debut on Sunday. The AP Rookie of the Year finished with 25 points and nine assists, but it wasn’t enough.

    “It’s obviously difficult, especially because we climbed all the way back and only had our chances at the end,” Clark said.

    Aliyah Boston added 16 points and 19 rebounds. Her layup with 2:05 left gave Indiana a 77-75 lead, but DeWanna Bonner, who tied her WNBA record in her 82nd playoff game against Lindsay Whalen, answered with a three-pointer 14 seconds later.

    Neither team was able to score on their next possessions until Marina Mabrey hit a three-pointer from the wing with 45.5 seconds left to give the Sun an 81-77 lead.

    On the Fever’s next possession, Kelsey Mitchell missed a three-pointer and the Sun won the game with a free throw.

    The Fever trailed by seven points at halftime, but scored the first seven points of the third quarter to tie the game. The teams traded baskets until Lexie Hull’s layup gave the Fever a 48-47 lead midway through the quarter.

    However, that lead didn’t last long as Thomas took the lead and scored 10 points on a 14-4 run to end the quarter.

    Clark brought the Fever back with her three-pointer, putting the team ahead 71-70 with 3:59 left. The teams traded baskets until Bonner’s three-pointer.

    Indiana got off to a fast start and was up 14-6 before the Sun scored the final 11 points of the first quarter to take a three-point lead. With 1:29 left in the quarter, Clark called a foul on a fan sitting in the second row to a referee. The referee called security and had the person escorted to the back. The fan later returned and no further incidents occurred.

    The run continued at the start of the second period, when Connecticut took a 26-16 lead on Carrington’s layup with 7:32 left in the half. The Sun led 41-34 at halftime. Carrington was honored before the game as the league’s most improved player.

    On the last play of the half, Erica Wheeler attempted a layup to stop the buzzer and flew into the photographers on the sidelines. She lay on the ground for a few minutes before getting up and heading back to the locker room. Her left thumb was examined and she did not play in the second half.

    Clark finished the half with 14 points, four rebounds and four assists.

    The Sun were missing starting guard Tyasha Harris, who injured her ankle in Sunday’s win. Mabrey started in her place.

    — The Associated Press

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    Madoc Meredith
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