Lynx Beat Mystics 88-83 On Lindsay Whalen Day
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Lindsay Whalen scored 10 points in the final regular-season home game of her career, Sylvia Fowles set the WNBA season record for rebounds and the Minnesota Lynx closed the season with a 88-83 victory over the Washington Mystics on Sunday night.
The Target Center had 13,013 in attendance for the game. Governor Mark Dayton declared it "Lindsay Whalen Day" in Minnesota and a retirement ceremony followed the game.
The 36-year-old Whalen starred at the University of Minnesota and now coaches the Gophers.
Fowles had 26 points and 14 rebounds to finish with a WNBA-record 404 rebounds. She broke the mark of 403 set last year by Jonquel Jones.
Whalen hit a 3-pointer that gave the Lynx (18-16) the lead for good during a 13-0 run that ended at 78-69 early in the fourth quarter. The Mystics (22-12) got no closer than the final score.
The seventh-seeded Lynx will visit the sixth-seeded Los Angeles Sparks — a rematch of the last two WNBA finals — in the single-elimination first round of the WNBA playoffs Tuesday night.
The No. 3 seed Mystics had their eight-game winning streak snapped and their 22 regular-season wins tied a franchise best. Washington will have a bye through the first round of the playoffs to host the Lynx-Sparks winner in the second round Thursday night.
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