Margo Dydek had four of her 12 points in overtime and Katie Douglas made five free throws in the final 40 seconds to lead the Connecticut Sun to a sweep of the Eastern Conference finals with a 77-67 win over the Indiana Fever on Saturday in Uncasville, Conn.
The Sun advanced to the WNBA finals for the second straight year and will play the winner of the Sacramento-Houston series. It was the Sun's first overtime game of the year.
Taylorsville High alum and former Utah Starzz forward, Natalie Williams, playing the final game of her pro career, had a season-high 17 points for Indiana and led all players with 11 rebounds.
Tamika Catchings scored 21 points to help the Fever rally from 10 points down in the second half. Her 3-pointer with 18.6 seconds left in regulation tied it at 60-all. The Sun had a chance to win it in the closing seconds, but Taj McWilliams-Franklin's jumper missed the mark as time ran out.
Dydek opened the extra period with a jumper and Indiana countered with a Deanna Jackson layup. McWilliams-Franklin's bucket off an offensive rebound gave the Sun the lead for good at 64-62. Nykesha Sales, who had struggled offensively most of the game, gave the Sun even more breathing room with an open 3-pointer in transition with 2:57 left. She also made a key steal in the final minute that resulted in Catchings' sixth and final foul.
The Sun iced the game from the line, making 8 of 12 free throws in the last minute of overtime.
McWilliams-Franklin led Connecticut with 15 points. She and Dydek had seven rebounds each. Lindsay Whalen added 14 points for Connecticut.
Catchings did it all early on for the Fever. She had a pair of defensive rebounds, two steals and a layup in the first three minutes of what would be a closely contested first half. The lead changed seven times in the period, but the Sun were able to build a 37-29 lead at the half, largely on the offense of reserve forward Ajsha Jones. She had all 13 of her points in the first half, including five points in a 6-0 run to close out the period.
MONARCHS 74, COMETS 65: At Sacramento, Calif., Yolanda Griffith scored 19 points and Kara Lawson had 18 points, nine rebounds and seven assists, leading Sacramento to a sweep of the Western Conference finals.
After three previous failed attempts, the Monarchs reached the WNBA Finals for the first time.
The Monarchs setting the tone early against the Comets, scoring the games first two baskets and never trailing. The lead was 14 points by halftime, and Houston never cut it below six the rest of the way as Sacramento improved to 17-2 overall at home this year.
Sheryl Swoopes scored 24 points for Houston. Tina Thompson had 13 points and Janeth Arcain added 12.
Lawson had her best game of the year, making all four 3-pointers and finishing 6-for-9 from the field overall. The Monarchs shot 53 percent and outrebounded the Comets 43-30.
DeMya Walker, who missed the first round series with Los Angeles due to a knee injury, made all five shots and scored 13 points. Fellow reserve Kristin Haynie added eight points in just 14 minutes.
It was another playoff exit for Houston, which won the league's first four championships but has not been back in the Finals since winning its last title in 2000.