Up by 20 points in the third quarter, the Minnesota Lynx failed to take a commanding lead in their WNBA semifinal series Tuesday night.
Sami Whitcomb sent the game to overtime with a late 3-pointer, Kahleah Copper drained one in overtime, and the Phoenix Mercury escaped Target Center with an 89-83 win to even the best-of-five series at a game apiece.
Game 3 is Friday night in Phoenix. Game 4 is Sunday in Arizona.
Minnesota was outscored 7-2 in the final 1:55 of regulation and did not score in nearly the first four minutes of overtime, yet it still had a chance.
Courtney Williams scored on a floater, and a Napheesa Collier jumper got a couple friendly bounces off the rim to make it 85-83 Phoenix with 30.1 seconds left.
Alyssa Thomas made a pair of free throws for the Mercury with 21.7 seconds to play, Collier missed a long 3-pointer, and Thomas made four more shots from the charity stripe.
Collier led Minnesota with 24 points, Kayla McBride had 21, and Courtney Williams added 20 and nine assists. But she also had seven turnovers. Alanna Smith had 13 points and nine rebounds.
The Mercury trailed by 20 midway through the third quarter yet continually chipped away at the lead — including a 16-4 surge — to tie the game with 3:32 left.
“They just kept fighting,” said Phoenix coach Nate Tibbetts. Satou Sabally led the Mercury with 24 points, including five 3-pointers.
McBride made a 3-pointer for Minnesota, DeWanna Bonner countered on a layup after a Lynx turnover, and Collier scored inside and Williams on a layup to make it 77-72 Lynx with 1:55 to play.
Its lead cut to one, Minnesota next scored with 20.7 seconds left on a pair of Williams free throws, but Whitcomb’s 3-pointer tied the game with 3.4 seconds left in regulation. Collier’s jumper at the buzzer fell off the iron, and five more minutes were put on the game clock.
Minnesota shot 50% from the field in the opening half, was uber-aggressive on defense and led 48-32 at intermission.
And the Lynx ended the second quarter on a 9-2 run, including a jumper by Collier followed by a steal and layup from Williams, further electrifying the 10,824 fans in attendance.
Early in the third quarter, Williams intercepted a cross-court attempted pass and fed Smith for a fast-break layup and a 17-point lead. Twenty seconds later, Smith blocked Thomas on a drive and let out a big yell of excitement. Collier drained a 3-pointer soon thereafter to make it 59-39.
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