Breanna Stewart’s 29-point night highlighted by go-ahead score lifts Storm past Lynx for 4th win in a row | CBC Sports

Breanna Stewart scored 29 points, including a go-ahead basket with 42.6 seconds left, and the Seattle Storm beat the Minnesota Lynx 81-79 on Tuesday night for their fourth straight victory.

Stewart made a floater in the lane to break a 79-all tie. After Minnesota came up empty at the other end on Moriah Jefferson’s off-balance layup attempt, Stewart dribbled down the clock and got it to Jewell Loyd, who missed a contested shot in the lane. But Stewart grabbed the offensive rebound and passed it out to run out the clock.

Epiphanny Prince made four three-pointers in the opening five minutes of the fourth quarter and finished with 15 points for Seattle (9-5). Loyd added 13 points, including a three-point play for a 57-54 lead after Seattle started the third quarter on an 18-8 run. Sue Bird did not play due to a non-COVID illness.

Stewart scored 15 points in the first half but Seattle still trailed 46-39. The Storm finished 12 of 27 from three-point range.

Kayla McBride scored 20 points for Minnesota (3-12), including a three-pointer to tie it at 79 with 52 seconds left. Jessica Shepard added 12 points, Nikolina Milic added 11 points and Aerial Powers had 10 points and seven assists.

Minnesota, which has lost four straight, outshot Seattle 51.5 per cent to 38.4 but turned it over 15 times.

Mystics avenge loss to Mercury behind strong finish

Rookie Shakira Austin had 16 points and 10 rebounds for her second double-double, Ariel Atkins added 13 points and the Washington Mystics beat the Phoenix Mercury 83-65 on Tuesday night.

Washington was coming off a 99-90 overtime loss against Phoenix on Sunday. This time the Mystics sealed it by ending the game on a 9-0 run as the Mercury went scoreless over the final 4:15.

Alysha Clark added 11 points and Elizabeth Williams scored 10 for Washington (10-6) Elena Delle Donne, who missed the past two games due to back issues, scored all seven of her points in the first half. Natasha Cloud extended her streak of games with five-plus assists to 18 before finishing with six points and 10 assists.

Diamond DeShields had 21 points and eight rebounds and Tina Charles added 19 points for Phoenix (5-9), which had its three-game winning streak snapped. Diana Taurasi added nine points, six rebounds and six assists.

Phoenix guard Skylar Diggins-Smith made a steal in the third quarter to reach 300 for her career. Charles made five three-pointers to set a career-high in a regular-season game.