Bridget Carleton sank a 3-pointer with 4.6 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter, helping the Minnesota Lynx clinch the No. 2 seed in the WNBA playoffs with a 78-76 victory over the Connecticut Sun on Tuesday in Uncasville, Conn.
DeWanna Bonner made a layup to give the Sun a brief 76-75 lead with 8.5 seconds left before Carleton converted from well beyond the 3-point arc. Connecticut turned the ball over on its final possession.
Napheesa Collier scored 25 points to lift the Lynx (30-9) to their seventh win in a row and 14th in their past 15 games. Minnesota was denied in its bid for the top seed after the first-place New York Liberty posted an 87-71 win over the Washington Mystics on Tuesday.
Kayla McBride collected 14 points and seven rebounds for the Lynx. Carleton had 13 points, and former Sun guard Courtney Williams added a season-high 12 assists.
Connecticut’s Alyssa Thomas recorded 18 points, 10 assists and eight rebounds and DiJonai Carrington added 15 points. Marina Mabrey scored 13 points off the bench for the Sun (27-12), who were unable to complete a three-game season sweep of Minnesota.
Carrington converted a three-point play to help Connecticut overcome a 12-point deficit and seize a 70-69 lead with 2:25 to play in the fourth quarter. Thomas scored Connecticut’s next two baskets, including a shot from the foul line that gave the Sun a 74-73 advantage with 22.9 seconds to go.
Collier calmly sank a fadeaway jumper with 12.8 seconds left before the final sequence.
Mabrey drained a 3-pointer to forge a 36-36 tie with 4:41 remaining in the second quarter before the Lynx went on a 9-1 run that spanned into the third. McBride made a pair of free throws and a corner 3-pointer during that stretch.
Collier and Carleton each drained a 3-pointer, Williams sank a pair of long-range jumpers and Myisha Hines-Allen made a free throw to extend Minnesota’s lead to 62-50 with 1:28 remaining in the third quarter.
–Field Level Media