The Minnesota Lynx were boosted by an outstanding night from their bench as they overcame a turnover-ridden game and a poor third-quarter to beat the Los Angeles Sparks, while Allie Quigley inspired the Chicago Sky to victory over the Indiana Fever.
Sunday 13 June 2021 07:39, UK
The Minnesota Lynx rallied behind 41 bench points and overcame 22 turnovers to defeat the Los Angeles Sparks, while Allie Quigley led the Chicago Sky to victory over the Indiana Fever in Saturday's Commissioner's Cup matchups.
Minnesota produced an excellent response to a third quarter in which they were outscored 22-8 by holding the Sparks to just seven points in the final stanza.
Quigley meanwhile delivered five points in the final two minutes as she drained a three-pointer to give Chicago the lead before sealing the win on a jumper.
Crystal Dangerfield led the charge off the bench for Minnesota (4-5), scoring a team-high 16 points. Fellow reserve Rachel Banham added 12 points and grabbed five rebounds, and Sylvia Fowles was the only Minnesota starter in double-figures with 15 points.
Two of Fowles' points helped put away the win as she came away with one of her five steals on the night with 2:38 to go and hit a mid-range jumper on the other end.
Fowles also grabbed a game-high nine rebounds and blocked four shots. Her defensive contributions helped Minnesota hold Los Angeles to just 23-of-70 shooting from the floor.
The Lynx's defense took over in the fourth quarter, holding the Sparks (4-5) to just seven points in the period. Minnesota ran off the quarter's first eight points, a strong answer after a dismal third quarter saw Los Angeles outscore them 22-8 and pull even after the Lynx went into halftime with a 14-point lead.
Te'a Cooper scored nine of her game-high 17 points in the third quarter for the Sparks. Kristi Toliver and Amanda Zahui B joined Cooper in double-figures scoring with 13 and 15 points, respectively, Erica Wheeler finished with nine points and Nia Coffey scored eight.
Los Angeles got just two points from its bench, unable to match the production of Minnesota's reserves.
The second string's efforts buoyed the Lynx on an off-shooting night for Napheesa Collier, the team's second-leading scorer, who went four-of-14 from the floor for nine points.
Kayla McBride shot just one of six from the floor but was six of six at the foul line for eight points. In her return from a hamstring strain, Aerial Powers scored seven points and grabbed four rebounds off the bench.
Quigley scored five of her 16 points off the bench in the final two minutes, helping the Sky to an 83-79 win over the Fever in Indianapolis.
The 34-year-old sank a three-pointer with 1:50 remaining that snapped a 77-77 tie and then drained a contested jumper that lifted the Sky (4-7) to their second straight win.
Chicago have won nine of their last 11 meetings against the Fever (1-11), who lost their seventh consecutive game on Saturday despite receiving 20 points from Teaira McCowan. Kelsey Mitchell added 16 points, Lindsay Allen had 12 and Tiffany Mitchell finished with 10 for Indiana.
Candace Parker scored a team-best 20 points for the Sky in her first double-digit game since May 15 against Washington, Kahleah Copper collected 14 points and Stefanie Dolan contributed 11.
Courtney Vandersloot drove the lane for a layup with 3:28 remaining in the fourth quarter to give Chicago a 75-73 lead, to which Kelsey Mitchell responded with a pair of jumpers, including one moments after a one-hand tip-in by Parker that tied the score at 77-77.
Indiana trailed 67-66 after three quarters thanks to a Kelsey Mitchell three-pointer with 46.3 seconds left. In a tightly played first half, Parker seemed to turn the momentum.
With 1:43 to go and the Sky up 49-46, Parker attempted a three-pointer near the team bench despite being guarded tightly by Jessica Breland. Parker fell backwards to the floor. The shot was an air ball but Breland was called for a flagrant for not giving Parker enough room to land. Parker hit all three shots from the free-throw line to push the Sky up 52-46 with 1:43 to play.
