Sun hold off Fever 87-81 for series sweep

UNCASVILLE, Conn. (AP) — Alyssa Thomas had 19 points and 13 assists to help the Connecticut Sun sweep Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever out of the playoffs with an 87-81 win Wednesday night.

The third-seeded Sun will now face Minnesota in the semifinals which begin Sunday.

Clark played much better in Game 2 than she did in her postseason debut last Sunday. The AP Rookie of the Year finished with 25 points and nine assists, but it wasn’t enough. Aliyah Boston added 16 points and 19 rebounds.

Boston’s layup with 2:05 left gave Indiana a 77-75 advantage but DeWanna Bonner, who was playing in her WNBA record matching 82nd playoff game to match Lindsay Whalen, answered with a 3-pointer 14 seconds later.

Neither team scored on their next few possessions until Marina Mabrey hit a 3-pointer from the wing with 45.5 seconds left to give the Sun an 81-77 lead.

LYNX 101, MERCURY 88

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Napheesa Collier scored 42 to tie a WNBA playoff record for points in a game, and Minnesota swept Phoenix.

Collier tied Breanna Stewart and Angel McCoughtry for the 42-point record when she made 1 of 2 free throws with 3:18 left in the fourth quarter. It was one of just two misses from the free-throw line in 14 attempts for Collier, who was subbed out with 58.3 seconds left.

Collier, who scored a career-high 38 points in Game 1, became the first player in WNBA history with 38-plus points in back-to-back playoff games. She also set a WNBA record for the most points (80) through the first two games of a playoff series. Collier reached 38 points in Game 2 with 5:55 left in the fourth.