Lynx erase 11-point 4th-quarter deficit to beat Sparks after honoring Sylvia Fowles

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Napheesa Collier had 24 points, nine rebounds and six assists, and Minnesota rallied from a late 11-point deficit to defeat the Los Angeles Sparks 91-86 on Sunday, the day the Lynx honored Sylvia Fowles by retiring her No. 34 jersey.

A deep 3-pointer by Lexie Brown gave the Sparks an 83-72 lead with 3 1/2 minutes left before a 3-pointer by Minnesota's Rachel Banham started the game-winning rally.

A 3-pointer by Bridget Carleton gave the Lynx an 84-83 lead with about a minute remaining. After a missed 3-pointer and a turnover by the Sparks, Carleton added another 3-pointer for a four-point Lynx lead.

Jordin Canada missed a 3-pointer with 23 seconds left and the Sparks were forced to foul. Tiffany Mitchell made two free throws, Nneka Ogwumike hit a 3-pointer for the Sparks' only points of the final three minutes, and Mitchell hit two more free throws to wrap up the scoring.

Mitchell scored 17 points, Kayla McBride 13 and Nikolina Milic 10 for the Lynx. Jessica Shepard had 13 rebounds.

Nneka Ogwumike scored 27 points, Brown 21 and Canada 18 for Los Angeles.

Minnesota led by six late in the second quarter, but the Sparks scored 10 points in the final two minutes before halftime to tie the score at 43.

After a back-and-forth start to the third quarter, Los Angeles went ahead by five when Canada hit a layup and a 3-pointer on back-to-back possessions. Minnesota did not fade and when McBride hit the last basket of the quarter, the Lynx trailed 64-62 heading to the fourth.

The game was part of the Commissioner's Cup series.

Fowles averaged 15.7 points and a WNBA-record 9.8 rebounds per game in a 15-year career with Chicago and Minnesota. She was part of Minnesota's championship teams in 2015 and 2017. In 2021, she was named one of the top 25 WNBA players of all time.

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