| In the interest of speed and timeliness, this story is fed directly from the Associated Press newswire and may contain spelling or grammatical errors. |
Lynx 77, Monarchs 73
Sunday August 10, 2003SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) A record-setting victory has the Minnesota Lynx thinking of the playoffs, a goal they have never reached.
Katie Smith scored 27 points and Sheri Sam had 20 to help the Lynx rally for a 77-73 victory over the Sacramento Monarchs on Saturday night.
The Lynx (16-13) established a franchise record for victories. Minnesota went on a 15-1 run to overcome a 10-point deficit and take control of the game.
Minnesota moved into fourth place in the Western Conference standings, one game ahead of Sacramento, with five games remaining. The top four teams make the playoffs.
``With the crowds we've had the last two games and the intensity, it definitely has a playoff atmosphere written all over it,'' Minnesota coach Susie McConnell Serio said. ``They don't get any bigger than this. We go ahead of them in the standings and now have the tiebreaker with Sacramento.''
Smith did much of the damage. She tied the game with 3-pointer and later converted two free throws to put the Lynx ahead for good at 69-67 with 1:18 remaining.
Smith made 7 of 10 field goal attempts and 12 of 14 free throws. Smith and Teresa Edwards combined to make 10 straight free throws in the final 1:18 to secure the win. Minnesota made 30 of 45 free throws.
``We had some big stops and big rebounds late in the game and were able to climb back in it, then get a little cushion,'' Smith said.
The fifth place Monarchs (15-14) had their four-game home winning streak snapped and are now 8-3 under interim coach John Whisenant. Maura McHugh was fired following a 77-59 loss July 8th in Minnesota.
``We haven't destroyed our chances of making the playoffs, but we made it a lot tougher,'' Whisenant said. ``We have five games left and two of them are against the league leaders (Detroit, Houston).''
Svetlana Abrosimova scored 13 points for the Lynx, who broke a two-game losing streak. Edwards had nine points and seven assists.
DeMya Walker had 18 points and 12 rebounds for the Monarchs, who converted just 18 of 32 free throws. Ruthie Bolton and Tangela Smith scored 12 points, and Yolanda Griffith added 10.
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