WASHINGTON (AP) — Caitlin Clark made seven 3-pointers, equaled a career high with 30 points and made enough of her free throws down the stretch to help the Indiana Fever hold on for an 85-83 victory over the winless Washington Mystics on Friday night.
Clark easily had the most 3-pointers of her young career and made three of her four free throws late. She missed the last one, and the ball was knocked out of bounds as the Mystics (0-11) tried to rush up the court. That gave Washington one last chance with 1.4 seconds left, but the Mystics couldn’t get a shot off in time.
Clark had eight rebounds and six assists in perhaps her best all-around game so far. She went 8 of 15 from the field with four steals, although turnovers (eight) were an issue again for the former Iowa star.
Indiana (3-9) was coming off a four-day layoff after a grueling start to the season that included 11 games in 20 days. This time it was Washington that was put to the test, playing the second night of a back-to-back.
Indiana led 82-80 when Aliyah Boston missed two free throws with 25.6 seconds remaining, giving Washington a chance to tie. Ariel Atkins missed a driving attempt, however, and the ball went out of bounds. The Mystics then had to foul, and Clark made two free throws for a four-point lead.
Stefanie Dolson scored 19 points for Washington, but the Mystics missed a big chance when Indiana’s NaLyssa Smith was called for a clear-path foul with 1:37 to play. Down by three, Washington rookie Aaliyah Edwards made only one of two free throws, and the Mystics didn’t score on the ensuing possession.
STORM 78, ACES 65
LAS VEGAS (AP) — Jewell Loyd had 25 points and nine rebounds, Skylar Diggins-Smith scored 19 of her 21 points in the second half to go with seven assists, and Seattle beat Las Vegas for their sixth straight victory.
Diggins-Smith scored nine points during Seattle’s 11-2 run, including two 3-pointers, a three-point play and a nice pass to Nneka Ogwumike for a layup, to extend their lead to 74-61 with 2:01 left. Diggins-Smith capped the scoring with 14 seconds remaining.
Nneka Ogwumike and Ezi Magbegor each had a double-double for Seattle (7-3), which made 20 of 22 free throws. Magbegor had 14 points, 15 rebounds and five assists, and Ogwumike added 12 points and 11 boards.
Loyd reached double-digit scoring for the 51st straight game, extending the longest active streak. She also reached 5,000 career points.
MERCURY 81, LYNX 80
PHOENIX (AP) — Kahleah Copper made a 3-pointer with less than a second remaining and scored 34 points to rally Phoenix to a victory over Western Conference-leading Minnesota in Brittney Griner’s return to the Mercury.
Copper sank 13 of 23 shots, none bigger than her final one, in helping Phoenix (5-6) win for just the second time in its last seven games under first-year coach Nate Tibbetts. Griner, fully recovered from a toe fracture that kept her out until now, debuted with 11 points, four rebounds and a block in just over 21 minutes.
Diana Taurasi scored 12 points but made just 4 of 19 shots, including 1 of 7 from beyond the arc, for Phoenix. Copper said Tibbetts originally designed the final play for Taurasi, but the veteran lobbied for Copper to take the shot instead.
Natasha Cloud had 10 assists to go with eight points.
Kayla McBride sank a career-best eight 3-pointers and scored 25 to lead Minnesota (7-3), which had a three-game win streak end. Napheesa Collier added 20 points, 12 rebounds and six assists. Alanna Smith had 12 points and six assists before fouling out.
SPARKS 81, WINGS 72
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Dearica Hamby finished with 22 points and 12 rebounds to help Los Angeles pull away for a victory over Dallas, snapping a three-game skid.
Hamby has eight double-doubles in 10 games this season for the Sparks (3-7). She made 9 of 16 shots from the floor, 4 of 6 from the free-throw line, and added four assists.
Lexie Brown pitched in with 16 points — sinking 4 of 8 from 3-point range — and six assists for the Sparks. Cameron Brink had 10 points and 10 rebounds.
Arike Ogunbowale scored 22 but hit just 10 of 28 shots for Dallas (3-6), which has lost four in a row. Maddy Siegrist made 9 of 11 shots with two 3-pointers, scoring 21. Monique Billings grabbed 12 rebounds to go with eight points.
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