NEW YORK (AP) — Jonquel Jones scored 29 points and the New York Liberty beat the winless Washington Mystics 93-88 on Sunday to clinch homecourt in the Commissioner’s Cup championship game.
The Liberty, who won the Commissioner’s Cup last season, will host the Commissioner’s Cup title game on June 25. New York, which has won seven straight games, will play the top team in the Western Conference cup standings.
New York came through a grueling stretch with five games in eight days, including winning back-to-back contests on Saturday and Sunday.
The Liberty led by two heading into the fourth quarter before they extended the lead to 86-79 with 4:03 left on a putback by Jones. Washington scored the only basket over the next 2:30 minutes until Sabrina Ionescu hit a 10-foot floater from the wing that made it 88-81 with 1:30 left.
Washington scored the next five points and only trailed 88-86 with 24 seconds left. Ionescu hit the second of two free throws to make it a three-point game.
Jade Melbourne made a layup to bring Washington within one. New York then found Jones for a wide open layup after breaking the Mystics’ press with just over eight seconds left. Melbourne had a chance to tie the game, but missed a 3-pointer from the wing.
MERCURY 97, WINGS 90, 2OT
ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Kahleah Copper scored eight of her 29 points in the second overtime, Brittney Griner finished with 24 points and Phoenix beat Dallas.
Phoenix has won back-to-back games and three of its last four following a four-game losing streak.
Griner, who made her season debut Friday in an 81-80 win over the Minnesota Lyn after the nine-time WNBA All-Star broke a toe in the preseason, made 11 of 16 from the field, grabbed nine rebounds with five assists and two blocks. Diana Taurasi added 20 points, seven rebounds and seven assists.
Arike Ogunbowale led Dallas with 25 points, 10 assists, seven rebounds and four steals. Teaira McCowan scored 20 points and grabbed nine boards and Monique Billings added 10 points and 11 rebounds.
Sevgi Uzun hit a 3-pointer that trimmed the Wings’ deficit to 89-88 with 2:34 to play but Natasha Cloud answered with two free throws and Taurasi hit a pull-up jumper before McCowan was called for a technical — and fouled out — when she pushed Taurasi with just under a minute to play. Copper made the technical free throw and then hit a 3-pointer to make it 97-88 with 52 seconds left.
Griner scored in the post to give Phoenix a two-point lead with 21.1 seconds left in overtime and Ogunbowale missed a quick 3-point shot on the other end but McCowan grabbed the offensive rebound and her putback tied it at 85-all with 11 seconds left to force a second OT.
LYNX 83, STORM 64
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Kayla McBride hit seven 3-pointers and finished with a season-high 32 points, Napheesa Collier scored 19 points and grabbed 14 rebounds and Minnesota beat Seattle and snapped their six-game win streak.
Minnesota, which beat the Storm in back-to-back games to open the season, has won four of its last five games. The Lynx had a three-game win streak snapped Friday when Kahleah Copper’s 3-pointer just before the buzzer gave the Mercury an 81-80 win over Minnesota.
McBride — who set a franchise record by hitting eight 3-pointers in Friday’s loss to the Mercury — made 9 of 13 from the field, 7 of 10 from 3-point range and 7 of 7 from the free-throw line.
McBride hit 3s to open and cap a 10-3 spurt that made it 57-49 with 2:15 left in the third quarter and Minnesota led the rest of the way.
Skylar Diggins-Smith hit a mid-range jumper to cut the Storm’s deficit to five with 5:38 left in the fourth quarter but McBride answered with two free throws and followed with a 3-pointer to make it 70-60 less than a minute later and Seattle got no closer.
SPARKS 96, ACES 92
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Dearica Hamby finished with 18 points and 10 rebounds, Aari McDonald scored 16 off the bench and Los Angeles beat two-time defending-champion Las Vegas after they scored the first 14 points of the game.
Hamby sank 6 of 10 shots with a 3-pointer and 5 of 6 free throws for the Sparks (4-7), who won back-to-back games for the first time this season. McDonald made 5 of 8 shots, two from beyond the arc, and all four of her foul shots. McDonald’s effort helped the LA bench outscore Las Vegas’ substitutes 40-17.
Rickea Jackson pitched in with 16 points and five rebounds for LA.
A’ja Wilson had 31 points — three above her league-high average — to lead the Aces (5-4), who have lost three of their last four games. Wilson has now scored at least 20 points in 14 straight games, breaking a league record set by Diana Taurasi of the Phoenix Mercury. Wilson, who averages a league-best 12 rebounds, grabbed eight. Kelsey Plum hit four 3-pointers, scoring 24 with five assists. Tiffany Hayes added 17 points and Kate Martin scored 13.
Wilson scored the first five points and Martin and Plum hit back-to-back 3-pointers to cap a 14-0 run to begin the game for Las Vegas.
The Associated Press
