Connecticut Sun win 73-70 over Minnesota Lynx in first semifinals game
MINNEAPOLIS — Marina Mabrey scored 20 points and Alyssa Thomas added 17 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists and the Connecticut Sun defeated the Minnesota Lynx 73-70 on Sunday night in Game 1 of their semifinals series.
DiJonai Carrington had 13 points and DeWanna Bonner had 10 points and 11 boards for the Sun.
Napheesa Collier, who averaged 40 points in the first round of the playoffs, led Minnesota with 19 points and nine rebounds. Bridget Carleton scored 17 and Kayla McBride added 12.
Game 2 of the best-of-5 series will be played Tuesday in Minneapolis.
In their first-round sweep of Phoenix, the Lynx shot 50% from the floor and 40% from the arc, topping 100 points in both games.
It was a different story against the Sun, who had the stingiest defense in the league this season. Minnesota shot just 41.5% from the field and made 5 of 20 3-point attempts.
Mabrey opened the fourth with her sixth 3-pointer of the night, and Carrington scored on a putback to tie the score 62-all with seven minutes to play. Bonner hit a corner 3 and added a transition layup as the Sun crept ahead by three.
After the Lynx were held without a basket for more than three minutes, Collier's driving layup cut the Sun's lead to 71-70 with 33.9 seconds to go.
However, Thomas hit a 15-foot jumper with 11.7 seconds left and after a disjointed final possession, Collier's desperation 3-pointer came up short.
The Lynx trailed by four entering the third quarter, when McBride hit a 3-pointer and a long jumper on back-to-back possessions to erase the deficit. Tied at 57 in the final minute of the quarter, Myisha Hines-Allen scored on a baseline drive, then after getting a stop on the other end, Williams drained a 3 to give Minnesota a 62-57 lead after three quarters.
Connecticut used a 9-0 run late in the first quarter to jump out to a 23-14 lead. Carrington sparked the rally by converting a turnover into a breakaway layup and hitting a corner 3 the next time down the court.
Minnesota clawed back in the second quarter, as Williams' steal and fast-break assist to McBride sparked a 15-0 spurt that gave the Lynx a 35-29 lead. Carleton hit a pair of 3s and Alanna Smith converted a three-point play over that four-minute stretch, which Mabrey snapped with a 3 from the wing.
Mabrey's bucket triggered a 13-2 run that ended with another Mabrey 3 as the Sun took a 42-38 lead into the half.