Kia Nurse drains miraculous buzzer-beater to send Mercury past Sky
Canadian guard nails heave from just over halfcourt to steal win for Phoenix
Canada's Kia Nurse sank a 3-pointer a step inside the half-court line as time expired and the Phoenix Mercury closed the game on a 14-3 run to beat the Chicago Sky 84-83 on Tuesday night.
Phoenix trailed 80-70 with 3:37 to play, but Chicago would not make another field goal the rest of the way.
Megan Walker made two free throws with 29.9 seconds left to pull Phoenix within 83-80, and Kahleah Copper had a shot roll off the rim at the other end. Nurse grabbed the rebound, dribbled down the court and eluded a defender at midcourt for an open look from distance. Nurse went to her knees as her teammates rushed in to celebrate.
"Brianna Turner told me to shoot it, I never make the half-court shot, thank God this one went in," Nurse, of Hamilton, Ont., said.
WATCH | Nurse shoots Mercury to victory:
Skylar Diggins-Smith led Phoenix (4-3) with 24 points and Nurse finished with 18 points on five 3-pointers. Brittney Griner and Turner each added 13 points and Walker scored 10.
Diamond DeShields scored 26 points for Chicago (2-5), which lost its fifth straight game. Courtney Vandersloot had 17 points, 10 rebounds and five assists, and Ruthy Hebard had 14 points and nine rebounds.
Chicago went on a 12-0 run in the fourth as Phoenix was limited to five points in the first five minutes of the quarter.
Storm dump Fever in coach's debut
Breanna Stewart scored 28 points, Jewell Loyd added 18 and the Seattle Storm beat the Indiana Fever 88-73 on Tuesday night for coach Noelle Quinn's first victory.
Quinn took over on Sunday after Dan Hughes abruptly announced his retirement, saying the rigors of being a head coach in the WNBA has taken a toll.
Sue Bird added 12 points and eight assists for Seattle (6-1), which has won four straight games. The Storm made 11 3-pointers, four from Loyd, and 21 of 24 free throws.
Stewart scored 16 points in the first half and Loyd added 10 as Seattle built a 43-38 lead.
Teaira McCowan had 12 points and 15 rebounds and Jessica Breland added 12 points for Indiana (1-8). Danielle Robinson scored 11 points and Tiffany Mitchell had 10.
Sun soar past Aces
Jonquel Jones had 23 points and seven rebounds, Brionna Jones added 14 points and eight boards, and the Connecticut Sun beat the Las Vegas Aces 74-67 on Tuesday night.
Connecticut (7-2) had lost two of its last three games — both in overtime — after a 5-0 start. Las Vegas (5-2) had its three-game winning streak snapped.
Connecticut led 60-59 with 5:59 remaining before going on a 10-2 run with four points apiece from Jonquel Jones and Brionna Jones. Brionna Jones and Jasmine Thomas combined to make 4 of 4 free throws in the final minute to seal it.
Liz Cambage had a season-high 28 points, seven rebounds and three blocks for Las Vegas. She said she cleared the air before the game with Connecticut coach Curt Miller before. Miller was fined and suspended for a game for comments he made about Cambage to an official when the two teams met on May 24 in Las Vegas.
A'ja Wilson added 14 points, five rebounds and six assists, and Chelsea Gray scored 10. The Aces, who were without Kelsey Plum due to Team USA duty, missed all five of their 3-pointers.
WATCH | When might the WNBA come to Canada?:
Wings stop 4-game skid
Tyasha Harris scored a career-high 18 points, with four 3-pointers, and Kayla Thornton had 15 points and seven rebounds to help the Dallas Wings beat the Los Angeles Sparks 79-69 on Tuesday night, snapping a four-game losing streak.
Arike Ogunbowale added 14 points for Dallas (2-4). Moriah Jefferson had 10 points, six rebounds and six assists, and Marina Mabrey added 10 points, seven rebounds and six assists.
Dallas led 38-28 at halftime behind balanced scoring. Thornton scored nine points, and Mabrey, Jefferson and Ogunbowale added eight points apiece.
Kristi Toliver scored 14 points, making 4 of 5 3-pointers, for Los Angeles (2-3), which had a two-game winning streak snapped. Te'a Cooper added 12 points, and Amanda Zahui B scored 10.
Los Angeles star Nneka Ogwumike sat out for much of the fourth, with her left knee wrapped, after a fall early in the quarter. Ogwumike finished with 10 points in 25 minutes.
