ATLANTA (AP) - Elizabeth Williams and Alex Bentley each scored 22 points, Tiffany Hayes added 21 and the Atlanta Dream beat the Las Vegas Aces 109-100 on Tuesday night to clinch a playoff spot.
Earlier in the day, the WNBA ruled Las Vegas would forfeit its game against Washington that was canceled last week when the Aces players decided not to play because of concerns about their health and safety after 26 hours of travel.
Williams scored on back-to-back possessions and assisted on the third as Jessica Breland capped the scoring with 40 seconds to go. Williams’ baskets followed two 1-for-2 trips to the line for Las Vegas.
Angel McCoughtry chipped in with 19 points for Atlanta (19-10), which set a season-high in points.
Kelsey Plum had 20 points and 13 assists for Las Vegas (12-17). Kayla McBride added 19 points and A’ja Wilson had 18 points and eight rebounds.
Wilson, McBride and Plum combined to score 42 of Las Vegas’ 60 first-half points. Wilson’s former coach, Dawn Staley, at South Carolina sat courtside.
LYNX 85, SKY 64
CHICAGO (AP) - Maya Moore scored 31 points to help the Lynx beat the Sky to end a three-game losing streak.
Minnesota started the second half on a 12-0 run for a 51-38 lead and outscored the Sky 29-15 in the third quarter. Chicago didn’t make its first fourth-quarter field goal until the 5:28 mark.
Danielle Robinson had 12 points and 11 assists in her first start of the season for short-handed Minnesota (16-13). She replaced a resting Lindsay Whalen. The Lynx were also without Rebekkah Brunson after getting knocked in the face in the team’s previous game.
Moore was 11 of 17 from the field and Minnesota shot 53 percent. All five Lynx starters scored in double figures.
Allie Quigley hit four 3-pointers and scored 22 points for Chicago (10-19). Courtney Vandersloot had 11 points and seven assists.
Several Chicago Bulls players were in attendance, including Jabari Parker, Bobby Portis and Antonio Blakeney.
STORM 94, FEVER 79
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) - Natasha Howard had 19 points, eight rebounds and four assists, Sue Bird became the WNBA leader in minutes played and the Storm beat the Fever.
Breanna Stewart added 17 points and 12 rebounds for Seattle (23-7), which won back-to-back games in Indiana for the first time in franchise history. Bird scored 16 points with eight assists, passing Tina Thompson (1997-13) at 16,090 minutes.
Stewart had 12 points, seven rebounds and four assists in the first half to help Seattle to a 51-44 lead. Seattle scored 14 of the game’s first 19 points.
Bird’s no-look pass to a cutting Howard gave Seattle a 61-50 advantage. Howard’s drive and spin in the lane made it 76-60 at the end of the third quarter.
Candice Dupree had 22 points and eight rebounds for Indiana (5-24), which was coming off its first two-game winning streak of the season. Victoria Vivians scored all 15 of her points in the first half on five 3-pointers.
MYSTICS 103, MERCURY 98
PHOENIX (AP) - Elena Delle Donne scored 30 points, Kristi Toliver added 25 and the Mystics secured a playoff spot with a victory over the Mercury.
Prior to the tip, Washington was involved in the first forfeited game in WNBA history. The league ruled that Las Vegas would get a loss for its game against the Mystics that was canceled last week when the Aces players decided not to play because of concerns about their health and safety after 26 hours of travel.
Delle Donne made two free throws with 2:17 remaining in the game for a 10-point lead, but Phoenix rallied. Diana Taurasi and DeWanna Bonner made 3-pointers on back-to-back Phoenix possessions to pull to 98-94 and Taurasi was fouled on a 3-pointer with 17.5 left, making three free throws to pull to 100-98.
Toliver went 1 for 2 with 16.2 seconds remaining to give Washington a three-point lead, Phoenix turned it over and Toliver made two more to seal it.
LaToya Sanders scored 19 points and Natasha Cloud 15 for Washington (18-11), which has won four straight - all on the road.
Brittney Griner, Taurasi and Bonner combined to score 84 points for Phoenix (16-14). Griner had 35 points and 11 rebounds, Taurasi scored 29 and Bonner 20. The Mercury have lost five straight at home.
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