UNCASVILLE, Conn. — — Napheesa Collier scored 25 points before Bridget Carleton with the 3-pointer to take the lead with 3.4 seconds leftand the Minnesota Lynx beat the Connecticut Sun 78-76 on Tuesday night to secure second place in the WNBA playoffs.
Minnesota (30-9) hosts seventh-seeded Phoenix on Sunday when the best-of-three playoffs begin. Connecticut (27-12) is currently third with one game left in the regular season and would play at home against Indiana on Sunday. The Sun play at home against Chicago on Thursday.
Connecticut and Minnesota missed with just under a minute left before Alyssa Thomas hit from the free throw line to give the Sun a 74-73 lead with 22 seconds left. Collier answered 10 seconds later with a turnaround fadeaway down the left side of the lane.
Connecticut scored a quick basket after a timeout when Thomas found DeWanna Bonner under the basket with 8.5 seconds left. After another timeout, without a huddle, Collier kicked the Carleton ball well behind the line for a 3-pointer. The Sun took another timeout, but Bonner threw the ball away on the throw-in.
Kayla McBride scored 14 points and Carleton added 11 for the Lynx, who lost their first two meetings with the Sun by a combined six points. Courtney Williams had eight points and a season-high 12 assists.
Thomas had 18 points and 10 assists for Connecticut. DiJonai Carrington scored 15 points, Marina Mabrey 13 and Brionna Jones 10.
Minnesota led 69-62 with four minutes left when Bonner scored on a drive and then hit a three-pointer before Carrington’s three-point play gave Connecticut a 70-69 lead with 2:25 left.
McBride hit a three-pointer as time expired to help the Lynx tie the game at 22-22 after one quarter. Collier scored 14 points and Minnesota led 42-37 at halftime.
Connecticut trailed 57-50 with less than three minutes left in the third quarter, but Williams scored two consecutive baskets and Myisha Hines-Allen hit a free throw to quickly increase the lead to 12 points, the most of the game. The Lynx led 62-53 at the end of the quarter.
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AP WNBA: https://apnews.com/hub/wnba-basketball
