Rhyne Howard scores career-high 43 points to help Dream beat Sparks | CBC Sports

Rhyne Howard hit six 3-pointers and scored a career-high 43 points — one shy of Atlanta’s single-game franchise record — on 14-of-20 shooting to help the Dream set their single-game scoring record and the beat the visiting Los Angeles Sparks 112-84 Sunday.

Atlanta (7-8), which has won back-to-back games following a three-game skid, set a season high for points in a game and topped the 100-point plateau for the second time this season.

Howard made 9 of 12 from the field and scored 25 points before halftime — a franchise record for points in the first half and the most points scored by a WNBA player in a half this season.

Nneka Ogwumike led Los Angeles (7-10) with 25 points. Dearica Hamby scored 18 with eight rebounds, Auzra Stevens added 13 points and nine boards, and Zia Cooke scored 11 points.

Howard’s 40-point performance was the fifth in the WNBA season, a single-season record. The previous high was three (2006, `08, ’15).

Williams comes up clutch as Sky drop Fever

Courtney Williams hit the go-ahead jumper with 18.1 seconds to play and finished with a season-high 28 points with eight assists to help the visiting Chicago Sky beat the Indiana Fever 89-87 Sunday.

Elizabeth Williams added 17 points, nine rebounds and six assists for Chicago (8-9). Marina Mabrey also had 17 points and six assists, and Kahleah Copper scored 15 points on 6-of-10 shooting.

Emre Vatansever, named Chicago’s interim coach and general manager Saturday, won his first game at the helm for the Sky. Vatansever took over for James Wade, who joined the coaching staff of the NBA’s Toronto Raptors.

Indiana’s Maya Caldwell missed a clean look at a potential tying 3-pointer from the right corner with about two seconds left and, after the ball went out of bounds off the Sky, Kelsey Mitchell missed another at the buzzer.

Smith led Indiana (5-11) with 27 points, on 11-of-16 shooting, and eight rebounds. Mitchell added a season-high 26 points.

Liberty overpower Storm

Breanna Stewart had 20 points, eight rebounds and six assists, Courtney Vandersloot added 18 points and 12 assists and the New York Liberty beat the Storm 81-66 Sunday in Seattle.

Vandersloot had her fifth double-double, and her seventh game with at least 10 assists this season. Sabrina Ionescu scored 13 points and Betnijah Laney finished with 10 for New York (11-4).

Stewart made two mid-range jumpers and then assisted on a 3-pointer by Ionescu that made it 7-0 and the Liberty never trailed. Marine Johannes hit a 3 to close the first quarter and another to open the second that stretched the lead to 15 points and Ionescu made a 3-pointer about 2 1/2 minutes into the second half that gave New York its biggest lead of the game at 49-27.

Jewell Loyd, who went into the game leading the league in scoring at 25.7 per game (Stewart is tied with Arike Ogunbowale for No. 2 at 22.1), led Seattle (4-11) with 27 points. Ezi Magbegor added 12 points and Sami Whitcomb and Canada’s Kia Nurse scored 10 points apiece.

New York finished with a season-high 16 steals — including five by Stewart and four by Vandersloot — and had 29 assists on 33 made field goals.

The Storm have lost three games in a row and five of their last six.

New York responded to a 98-81 loss at the WNBA-leading Las Vegas Aces on Thursday to win for the fifth time in six games.

Wings top short-handed Mystics

Satou Sabally and Teaira McCowan each had a double-double, Arike Ogunbowale scored all her 17 points in the second half and the host Dallas Wings beat the short-handed Washington Mystics 89-72 Sunday.

Sabally scored 27 points with 15 rebounds and McCowan added 10 and 11 boards. Natasha Howard scored 13 points for Dallas (8-8). Sabally has 11 double-doubles this season, second most in the WNBA.

McCowan scored inside to make it 33-31 with 1:38 left in the first half and the Wings led the rest of the way. Ogunbowale scored 14 points in the third quarter as Dallas outscored the Mystics 30-16 to take control for good.

Ariel Atkins led Washington with 18 points, 15 in the first half. Brittney Sykes scored 15 points and Tianna Hawkins added 10 points and 10 rebounds.

The Mystics have lost three of their last four games following a three-game win streak.