Silver Stars Dealt Road Loss by Lynx

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) - Lindsay Whalen scored 21 points, including six free throws in the final minute, and the Minnesota Lynx tightened the Western Conference playoff race with a 84-78 win over the San Antonio Silver Stars Sunday night.

The Lynx, Silver Stars and idle Los Angeles are tied for third place at 12-19 with three games to play. Only two will make the postseason.

Monica Wright had 20 and Seimone Augustus 17 for Minnesota, which won three of five against the Silver Stars this year. Head-to-head records is the first tiebreaker in playoff determination. Los Angeles holds the head-to-head tiebreaker with Minnesota, and the Silver Stars hold the tiebreaker with the Sparks.

Becky Hammon led San Antonio with a season-high 30 points, including six 3-pointers. Sophia Young had 12 and Roneeka Hodges 10 for the Silver Stars, who lost starting forward Chamique Holdsclaw, the team's third-leading scorer at 13.8 points per game, midway through the second quarter with sprained right ankle.

The Lynx have struggled to close out games this season, including blowing an 11-point halftime lead before losing Friday in Washington. Minnesota was beaten at home on a buzzer beater to Los Angeles Thursday.

It's one-time 15-point lead reduced to one on a 3-point play by Sophia Young, Rebekah Brunson scored four straight points for a 74-69 lead with 1:35 to play. Wright blocked a 3-pointer by Hammon leading to a shot clock violation after Brunson's first basket.

Edwige Lawson-Wade made two free throws for San Antonio, but Wright hit an off-balance jumper and Charde Houston scored a layup for a seven-point Lynx lead with 40 seconds to play.

Whalen made all six of her free throws to ice the game.

Hammon hit her sixth 3-pointer of the game to cut Minnesota's lead to 65-62 with 6:14 to play. Brunson made one of two free throws, but a 3-point play by Lawson-Wade made it a one-point game 2 minutes later.

San Antonio scored the game's first seven points, but the Lynx went on a 23-3 run over the first and second quarters, including 3-pointers by Wright and Augustus, for a 33-18 lead.

Two free throws by Hammon got San Antonio within 58-55 late in the third quarter.