The best-of-five WNBA semifinal series between the Minnesota Lynx and Connecticut Sun was widely expected to be close.
It’ll go to the limit.
Tyasha Harris scored a playoff career-high 20 points, Alyssa Thomas added 18 points, and the Sun took over in the second half to win 92-82 Sunday in Uncasville, Conn., to force a deciding Game 5 at 7 p.m. Tuesday in Target Center.
Seeded second, the Lynx seek a finals berth for the first time since 2017, when the franchise won its fourth title in seven years.
The best-of-five WNBA Finals start Thursday in New York. Seeking its first title, the top-seeded Liberty eliminated the two-time defending champion Las Vegas on Sunday in the other semifinal.
A 7-0 run got the Lynx within 88-80 with less than two minutes to play, but Minnesota could not get all the way back.
DeWanna Bonner scored on a drive. Napheesa Collier answered with a fadeaway jumper, but DiJonai Carrington countered with a cutting layup for a 10-point lead with 54.6 seconds left.
Collier had 29 points and 13 rebounds for the Lynx, and Natisha Hiedeman added 16 points off the bench for Minnesota, which shot 46.7% for the game. But that number was 34.5% in the second half.
Connecticut shot 60% in the second half, including 5 of 10 from deep in outscoring Minnesota 49-32 in the 20 minutes.
Nine of 14 from 3 in the first half, the Lynx, the league’s top 3-point shooting team, missed its first 10 shots from deep in the second half and made just 1 of 12.
Up by seven to start the third quarter, the Lynx were outscored 25-13 by the third-seeded Sun in the frame.
Minnesota shot 4 for 17 in the quarter and missed all seven attempts from outside the arc. Connecticut made 11 of 20 field goals and was 3 of 5 from deep to open a 68-63 lead.
Connecticut had a 50-30 advantage in points in the paint.
The Sun scored just 15 points in the opening quarter on 35.3% shooting, but they quickly found their strokes. Connecticut was 20 for 35 in the middle two quarters scoring 53 points.
Minnesota was sharp right away.
Collier had four early rebounds and scored six straight points for a 14-7 Lynx lead midway through the first quarter. Minnesota made five of its first seven shots; Connecticut three of its first 11.
Back-to-back treys by Collier and Carleton pushed the lead to 10.
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