SAN ANTONIO — Katie Smith scored 21 points and Svetlana Abrosimova had 16 points and nine assists to lead the Minnesota Lynx to a 75-65 victory over the San Antonio Silver Stars on Friday night.
Michele Van Gorp added 14 points for the Lynx (2-1), who closed the game with a 10-1 run, while Sheri Sam had 12 points.
Margo Dydek had 20 points and 12 rebounds and Jennifer Azzi added 16 points for San Antonio, which lost its second straight game after winning its season-opener,
Minnesota, which trailed by as many as six points in the second half, had the 10-1 run over the final 3:37. The final six points for the Lynx came at the free throw with Teresa Edwards scoring all four of her points at the line over the final 42 seconds.
SUN 91, COMETS 83: In Houston, Shannon Johnson scored 31 points and the Connecticut Sun got their first win since moving from Orlando, a 91-83 victory over the Houston Comets on Friday night. The Comets, who played with Sheryl Swoopes, Cynthia Cooper and Tina Thompson for the first time in two seasons, tied the game with 8:27 left when Cooper hit 2 free throws.
But on the second shot, Thompson swung her elbow and connected with the right side of Katie Douglas' temple as the two went up for a rebound, drawing a flagrant foul and an ejection from the game.
With Thompson, who was playing her first game since hurting her back in the preseason, gone, the Sun (1-1) went on an 8-0 run over the next two minutes and never let the Comets (2-1) get closer than three points.
MONARCHS 69, MERCURY 49: Yolanda Griffith had 22 points and nine rebounds and the Sacramento Monarchs beat the Phoenix Mercury for the seventh straight time in Arco Arena, 69-49 in their home opener.
Ticha Penicheiro added 14 assists as the Monarchs dominated their home floor to the delight of the sold-out crowd of 17,317. Sacramento (2-1) has won 11 of its last 15 against Phoenix.
Rookie Plenette Pierson had 13 points and Adrian Williams added 12 points and eight rebounds for the Mercury, who began a four-game road trip by shooting only 33 percent and struggling to even get shots against Sacramento's scrappy zone defense.
Kara Lawson, a rookie guard out of Tennessee, added 11 points, four rebounds and four assists off the bench for the Monarchs. She scored eight straight points during a big first-half run, including consecutive 3-pointers.