Associated Press
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Seimone Augustus scored 14 of her 30 points in the fourth quarter to lead the Minnesota Lynx to an 86-83 victory over the Sacramento Monarchs on Tuesday night.
Trailing by one, Augustus drove down the lane and converted on a runner to give Minnesota an 84-83 lead with 1:15 left.
Minnesota moved to 4-1 while Sacramento fell to 1-4.
Monarchs guard Kara Lawson missed a 3-point attempt with 10 seconds left and Augustus corralled the rebound and was fouled. She converted both free throws for an 86-83 lead with 8.9 seconds left.
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In its final possession, Nicole Powell missed an open look on a 3-pointer and Augustus secured the rebound and the victory.
Charde Houston scored 14 points and Nicky Anosike had 10 for Minnesota.
Trailing by three, LaToya Pringle made a basket in traffic and Augustus followed with a mid-range jumper to give the Lynx an 81-80 lead with 3:05 remaining.
Powell scored eight points for the Monarchs in a tight third quarter that featured four lead changes and five ties. In the final 35 seconds, reserve Renee Montgomery hit a 3-pointer and followed with an off-balance shot from close range to give the Lynx a 63-62 lead heading into the fourth.
Minnesota will have little time to relax this week with a road game today in Phoenix, followed by a Friday game in Seattle.
LYNX 86, MONARCHS 83
MINNESOTA (86)
Augustus 12-18 4-4 30, Houston 5-9 3-4 14, Anosike 4-7 2-3 10, Wiggins 2-11 4-4 8, Miller 3-7 1-2 9, Pringle 1-2 1-3 3, Montgomery 3-6 0-0 7, Hollingsworth 1-7 3-4 5, Hodges 0-2 0-0 0, Thomas 0-3 0-0 0, McCants 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 31-73 18-24 86.
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SACRAMENTO (83)
Powell 5-12 6-6 19, Walker 5-12 1-3 11, Harper 6-9 1-1 13, Robinson 2-9 1-2 5, Lawson 1-7 0-0 3, Newton 2-4 0-0 5, Kelly 2-4 6-7 10, Maiga 2-5 2-2 6, Brunson 4-4 2-2 10, Paris 0-0 1-2 1. Totals 29-66 20-25 83.
Minnesota 26 20 17 23 — 86
Sacramento 21 21 20 21 — 83
3-Point Goals — Minnesota 6-12 (Augustus 2-2, Miller 2-3, Houston 1-1, Montgomery 1-2, Hodges 0-1, Thomas 0-1, Wiggins 0-2), Sacramento 5-15 (Powell 3-7, Newton 1-2, Lawson 1-5, Robinson 0-1). Fouled Out — None. Rebounds — Minnesota 35 (Wiggins, Hollingsworth, Anosike 5), Sacramento 55 (Harper 9). Assists — Minnesota 20 (Wiggins 6), Sacramento 17 (Lawson 4). Total Fouls — Minnesota 24, Sacramento 20. A — 7,736 (12,000).
