Sue Bird sparks overtime run to help Storm hand Sun 1st loss of season
Phoenix's Diana Taurasi ruled out for at least 4 weeks due to fractured sternum
Sue Bird scored 21 points, Jewell Loyd had 19 points, eight rebounds, five assists and three steals and the Seattle Storm handed the Connecticut Sun their first loss of the season with a 90-87 overtime win on Tuesday night.
Breanna Stewart had 17 points and 12 rebounds and Stephanie Talbot added 11 points for Seattle (4-1).
Bird, who threw away the ball at the end of regulation, sandwiched a pair of 3-pointers around a layup by Loyd in an 8-0 run to open the extra period and the Storm led the rest of the way. Jasmine Thomas converted a three-point play to trim the Sun's deficit to 87-84 with 2:58 to play but Stewart answered with a 3-pointer — her first basket since the first quarter — and Seattle held on.
Jonquel Jones had her fifth consecutive double-double for Connecticut (5-1), finishing with 28 points, 13 rebounds, three steals and three blocks. Brionna Jones added 19 points, DeWanna Bonner scored 15 and Natisha Hiedeman 14.
DiJonai Carrington made a reverse layup for the Sun — the last WNBA team to lose this season — with 15.3 seconds left in regulation to force OT.
It was the first time since 2014 that Seattle had played back-to-back overtime games. Seattle beat Dallas in OT in its previous contest.
Charles, Hines-Allen lead Mystics charge
Tina Charles scored 30 points, Myisha Hines-Allen had 15 points and 10 rebounds and the Washington Mystics beat the Indiana Fever 85-69 on Tuesday night.
The 32-year-old Charles. who scored 34 in a win over the New York Liberty on Friday and 31 in a loss to the Fever on Sunday, has reached the 30-point plateau in three consecutive games for the first time in her illustrious career. The eight-time All-WNBA selection and 2012 WNBA MVP is averaging a league-high 26.2 points per game.
Ariel Atkins scored 12 of her in 18 points in the first half to help Washington (2-3) build a 49-35 lead. Atkins made 5 of 6 from the field, and Charles had 19 points on 9-of-12 shooting, as the Mystics shot 66.7 per cent (22 of 33) before halftime.
The Fever twice trimmed their deficit to seven points in the second half but got no closer.
Tiffany Mitchell scored 11 points for Indiana (1-5). Jessica Breland and Danielle Robinson added 10 points apiece.
Hines-Allen made her first start of the season for Washington. The 2020 second-team All-WNBA selection missed the first four games while playing overseas.
WATCH | Is the WNBA headed to Canada?:
Dream upend Sky
Tiffany Hayes scored 26 points, Courtney Williams added 18 and the Atlanta Dream beat the Chicago Sky 90-83 on Tuesday night.
Aari McDonald scored eight points and assisted on a basket by Monique Billings in a 10-0 run that made it 18-8 with two minutes left in the first quarter and the Dream led the rest of the way. McDonald, the No. 3 selection in April's draft, finished with nine points and five assists — both season highs.
Atlanta (2-2) had 11 steals and forced 21 Chicago turnovers.
The Sky shot 39.3 per cent (25 of 62) from the field, including 6 of 17 from 3-point range, but made 27 of 28 from the free-throw line.
Kahleah Copper led Chicago (2-2) with 21 points, Diamond DeShields scored 17 and Courtney Vandersloot added 14. Azura Stevens scored 13 and Astou Ndour-Fall had 11 points and nine rebounds.
Candace Parker (ankle) and Allie Quigley (hamstring) did not play for Chicago.
Taurasi out at least 4 weeks
Phoenix Mercury guard Diana Taurasi is expected to miss at least four weeks because of a small fracture to her sternum.
The team said in a statement on Tuesday that Taurasi suffered the chest injury in a May 16 game against Connecticut but played in the next two games. A scan revealed the fracture this week.
Taurasi is averaging 15.8 points, 3.8 assists and 3.5 rebounds through four games this season. She's just six points shy of becoming the only player in WNBA history to hit 9,000 career points.
