BRADENTON, Fla. — Amanda Zahui B. scored 14 points with 14 rebounds, Hamilton's Kia Nurse scored 17 points and the New York Liberty gave head coach Walt Hopkins his first career win with a 74-66 victory over the Washington Mystics on Friday night.
The Liberty (1-5) shot their way out of the winless column with 12 3-pointers as Zahui B. went 4 of 9 from beyond the arc and Layshia Clarendon 4 of 5 from distance. Clarendon also finished with 14 points.
Zahui B.’s 3 with 4:45 before halftime ended a 14-7 run that gave New York its first double-digit lead at 32-21. Emma Meesseman made back-to-back 3s to get Washington (3-2) within 35-31 with 63 seconds left before halftime but the Mystics never got closer.
Aerial Powers led Washington with 20 points, Meesseman 17 and Myisha Hines-Allen 12.
LYNX 87, FEVER 80
Lexie Brown scored a career-high 26 points with nine assists and four steals and the Lynx used a second quarter surge to beat the Fever.
Down 23-18 after period one, the Lynx (5-1) — winners of four straight — went on a 17-3 run to start the second and never trailed again. Sylvia Fowles started the Lynx on their way after converting a three-point play and a layup. Minnesota held Indiana (2-4) to 11 points in the second.
Kennedy Burke’s 3-pointer with 5:57 reduced Indiana’s deficit to 76-73 with 5:57 left to play. Candice Dupree then made 1 of 2 foul shots to make it a two-point game, but Fowles responded with a pair of foul shots and a basket to blunt the Fever comeback. Fowles scored 21 points.
Kelsey Mitchell and Tiffany Mitchell each scored 15 points for the Fever and Teaira McCowan scored 11 points with 12 rebounds.
The Associated Press
