MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Marina Mabrey scored 20 points and Alyssa Thomas added 17 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists and the Connecticut Sun defeated the Minnesota Lynx 73-70 on Sunday night in Game 1 of their semifinals series.
DiJonai Carrington had 13 points and DeWanna Bonner had 10 points and 11 boards for the Sun.
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MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Marina Mabrey scored 20 points and Alyssa Thomas added 17 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists and the Connecticut Sun defeated the Minnesota Lynx 73-70 on Sunday night in Game 1 of their semifinals series.
Minnesota Lynx forward Bridget Carleton (6) reacts after scoring a 3-point basket during the first half of Game 1 of a WNBA basketball semifinals against the Connecticut Sun, series Sunday, Sept. 29, 2024, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Stacy Bengs)
Minnesota Lynx forward Bridget Carleton (6) jumps up to the basket against Connecticut Sun forward Brionna Jones (42) during the first half of Game 1 of a WNBA basketball semifinals series Sunday, Sept. 29, 2024, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Stacy Bengs)
Minnesota Lynx guard Kayla McBride, left, goes up to the basket against Connecticut Sun guard DiJonai Carrington, right, during the first half of Game 1 of a WNBA basketball semifinals series Sunday, Sept. 29, 2024, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Stacy Bengs)
Minnesota Lynx forward Myisha Hines-Allen, right, goes up to the basket against Connecticut Sun guard Veronica Burton, left, during the first half of Game 1 of a WNBA basketball semifinals series Sunday, Sept. 29, 2024, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Stacy Bengs)
Minnesota Lynx forward Bridget Carleton (6) is fouled by Connecticut Sun forward Brionna Jones, right, during the first half of Game 1 of a WNBA basketball semifinals series Sunday, Sept. 29, 2024, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Stacy Bengs)
Minnesota Lynx guard Natisha Hiedeman (2) tries to make a basket against Connecticut Sun guard Veronica Burton, center left, during the first half of Game 1 of a WNBA basketball semifinals series Sunday, Sept. 29, 2024, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Stacy Bengs)
Napheesa Collier, who averaged 40 points in the first round of the playoffs, led Minnesota with 19 points and nine rebounds. Bridget Carleton scored 17 and Kayla McBride added 12.
Game 2 of the best-of-5 series will be played Tuesday in Minneapolis.
“It’s a long series for a reason. We have all the faith in the world that we’ll perform better on Tuesday night and hopefully come out with a win,” said Carleton.
In their first-round sweep of Phoenix, the Lynx shot 50% from the floor and 40% from the arc, topping 100 points in both games.
It was a different story against the Sun, who had the stingiest defense in the league this season. Minnesota shot just 41.5% from the field and made 5 of 20 3-point attempts. In the fourth quarter, the Lynx shot 4 for 18 from the field and scored just eight points.
“That’s just what our group does. This is a team and a franchise ... that has hung our hats on defense,” Sun coach Stephanie White said. “We had to be disruptive. We had to try to force them into uncomfortable shots.”
Mabrey opened the fourth with her sixth 3-pointer of the night, and Carrington scored on a putback to tie the score 62-all with seven minutes to play. Bonner hit a corner 3 and added a transition layup after blocking a Collier shot as the Sun crept ahead by three.
After the Lynx were held without a basket for more than three minutes, Collier's driving layup cut the Sun's lead to 71-70 with 33.9 seconds to go.
However, Thomas hit a 15-foot jumper with 11.7 seconds left and after a disjointed final possession, Collier's desperation 3-pointer came up short.
“We had a couple things going, not necessarily for (Collier),” Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve said. “The options that we were looking for weren’t available, so at that point we were just trying to find a 3.”
The Sun won two of their three games against the Lynx this season — one in overtime, the other by five points — while the Lynx won by two points on Sept. 17 when Carleton sank a long three to win it.
“All season long it’s been a physical series. Every game has come down to the wire in the fourth quarter and we expected nothing less,” Thomas said. “We’re two of the top defensive teams for a reason.”
The Lynx trailed by four entering the third quarter, when McBride hit a 3-pointer and a long jumper on back-to-back possessions to erase the deficit. Tied at 57 in the final minute of the quarter, Myisha Hines-Allen scored on a baseline drive, then after getting a stop on the other end, Williams drained a 3 to give Minnesota a 62-57 lead after three quarters.
Connecticut used a 9-0 run late in the first quarter to jump out to a 23-14 lead. Carrington sparked the rally by converting a turnover into a breakaway layup and hitting a corner 3 the next time down the court.
Minnesota clawed back in the second quarter, as Williams' steal and fast-break assist to McBride sparked a 15-0 spurt that gave the Lynx a 35-29 lead. Carleton hit a pair of 3s and Alanna Smith converted a three-point play over that four-minute stretch, which Mabrey snapped with a 3 from the wing.
Mabrey's bucket triggered a 13-2 run that ended with another Mabrey 3 as the Sun took a 42-38 lead into the half.
AP WNBA: https://apnews.com/hub/wnba-basketball
Minnesota Lynx guard Natisha Hiedeman, right, tries to make a basket against Connecticut Sun guard Veronica Burton, left, during the first half of Game 1 of a WNBA basketball semifinals series Sunday, Sept. 29, 2024, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Stacy Bengs)
Minnesota Lynx forward Bridget Carleton (6) reacts after scoring a 3-point basket during the first half of Game 1 of a WNBA basketball semifinals against the Connecticut Sun, series Sunday, Sept. 29, 2024, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Stacy Bengs)
Minnesota Lynx forward Bridget Carleton (6) jumps up to the basket against Connecticut Sun forward Brionna Jones (42) during the first half of Game 1 of a WNBA basketball semifinals series Sunday, Sept. 29, 2024, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Stacy Bengs)
Minnesota Lynx guard Kayla McBride, left, goes up to the basket against Connecticut Sun guard DiJonai Carrington, right, during the first half of Game 1 of a WNBA basketball semifinals series Sunday, Sept. 29, 2024, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Stacy Bengs)
Minnesota Lynx forward Myisha Hines-Allen, right, goes up to the basket against Connecticut Sun guard Veronica Burton, left, during the first half of Game 1 of a WNBA basketball semifinals series Sunday, Sept. 29, 2024, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Stacy Bengs)
Minnesota Lynx forward Bridget Carleton (6) is fouled by Connecticut Sun forward Brionna Jones, right, during the first half of Game 1 of a WNBA basketball semifinals series Sunday, Sept. 29, 2024, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Stacy Bengs)
Minnesota Lynx guard Natisha Hiedeman (2) tries to make a basket against Connecticut Sun guard Veronica Burton, center left, during the first half of Game 1 of a WNBA basketball semifinals series Sunday, Sept. 29, 2024, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Stacy Bengs)
MONTREAL (AP) — U.S. captain Jim Furyk raised the gold trophy before a team that dressed in red shirts that filled the scoreboard early with red scores. The Presidents Cup is one trophy the Americans own, for two decades and counting.
It didn't feel like another rout at Royal Montreal, not with 20 of the 30 matches — nine of them Sunday — not decided until at least the 17th hole.
The score suggested otherwise: United States 18 1/2, International 11 1/2.
It was the largest margin of victory on the road for the Americans in the Presidents Cup — even if it was just north of the border — and they won for the 10th straight time.
Xander Schauffele, a double major this year, was tapped to lead the way and delivered four straight birdies to set the tone in a 4-and-3 victory over Jason Day. Patrick Cantlay was bogey-free with seven birdies, three on his last four holes for 3-and-1 win over Taylor Pendrith.
Perhaps fittingly the clinching point came from Keegan Bradley, who had gone 10 years without competing for the U.S. team and already has been appointed the Ryder Cup captain for next year. He thought he might never play in another cup, and he was mobbed when he won over Si Woo Kim on the 18th hole.
“We talked about taking care of business today, and we all went out there and did it. I was just lucky enough to be in that spot in the day, but really a meaningful moment in my life,” Bradley said. “The last time I played in one of these I was the clinching point for the Europeans in the Ryder Cup. Fast forward 10 years later, and I got to do that today.
“Really something I’ll remember the rest of my life.”
For the Americans, it was old hat. Max Homa finished the scoring with his first point of the week, a 2-and-1 victory over Mackenzie Hughes. They won four of the five sessions, with the Internationals picking up most of their points in a 5-0 shutout Friday in the foursomes matches.
“These guys get along so well, but as you know, they can flat play,” Furyk said. “When it got tough, anytime the Internationals put some pressure on us, they played their (tails) off for us. I’m just so proud to be a part of it.”
The Internationals needed everything to go right at Royal Montreal. All they could manage was a good fight, more tight matches, but still no cup.
Their only victory since these matches for players from everywhere but Europe came in 1998 at Royal Melbourne, so long ago that Tiger Woods was making his Presidents Cup debut. The U.S. winning streak dates to 2005.
“A lot of these matches were so close,” International captain Mike Weir said. “It’s disappointing not to get a win. We put our team together to win this thing, and when you don’t get a win, it’s disappointing, but a lot of great things to take away.”
The Americans made a winner out of Furyk, the captain in France five years ago when Europe won the Ryder Cup. This is a new team — a young team — free of distraction, filled with confidence from having won every Presidents Cup since 2005.
“Really the matches come down to just some special moments,” Furyk said. “For one reason or another, these guys usually play loose in the Presidents Cup, they let it fly, and we’ve been able to win some crucial points, make some crucial putts.”
Furyk sent out Schauffele in the opening match, and the cool Californian made five birdies in eight holes to seize control early. He holed a 45-foot birdie putt on the opening hole with Day in close birdie range, took his first lead with a 25-foot birdie putt on the par-3 fifth and never let his foot off the gas.
“All of our 12 guys can compete,” Schauffele said. “My goal was just to set the tone, get red up on that board as early as possible, and I was able to do that.”
Sam Burns was the only player who went unbeaten this week, halving his match with Tom Kim. The 22-year-old South Korean looked to take a 1-up lead with a tee shot into 3 feet on the par-3 17th. Burns hit pitching wedge also next to the flag for matching birdies.
Kim has been the spark for the Internationals with his fist pumps and the way he poked Scheffler with his celebrations in the opening session. He said the tide would turn at some point, and the 22-year-old South Korean firmly believed it would be Sunday.
Just not this Sunday.
“When you lose so many times, I feel like there’s always a story where people come back. Winning doesn’t last forever,” Kim said. “There’s going to be times where lip-outs are going to go our way. A few breaks, a few bounces are going to go our way, and that’s going to make a difference. We play great and we keep falling short sometimes, but I’m not losing hope.”
The Internationals picked up a point in the battle of Masters champions when Hideki Matsuyama took down Scottie Scheffler, and Corey Conners delivered an easy win over Tony Finau. But they were trailing 11-7 going into the 12 singles. It was never going to be enough.
Now the Internationals have to wait two more years until the 2026 matches at Medinah outside Chicago.
AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf
United States team captain Jim Furyk chats with Canada Prime Minister Justin Trudeau before the trophy presentation at the Presidents Cup golf tournament at Royal Montreal Golf Club Sunday, Sept. 29, 2024 in Montreal. (Frank Gunn/The Canadian Press via AP)
United States team captain Jim Furyk, center front, drives down the 18th fairway after winning the Presidents Cup golf tournament at Royal Montreal Golf Club Sunday, Sept. 29, 2024, in Montreal. (Nathan Denette/The Canadian Press via AP)
Canada Prime Minister Justin Trudeau chats with International team captain Mike Weir before the trophy presentation at the Presidents Cup golf tournament at Royal Montreal Golf Club Sunday, Sept. 29, 2024 in Montreal. (Christinne Muschi/The Canadian Press via AP)
United States team captain Jim Furyk hoist the Presidents Cup as Canada Prime Minister Justin Trudeau looks on at Royal Montreal Golf Club on Sunday, Sept. 29, 2024, in Montreal. (Frank Gunn/The Canadian Press via AP)
United States team member Xander Schauffele hits onto the 15th green during a fifth-round singles match at the Presidents Cup golf tournament at Royal Montreal Golf Club, Sunday, Sept. 29, 2024, in Montreal. (Graham Hughes/The Canadian Press via AP)
International team member Mackenzie Hughes, of Canada, hits out of a bunker on the fifth hole during a fifth-round singles match at the Presidents Cup golf tournament at Royal Montreal Golf Club, Sunday, Sept. 29, 2024, in Montreal. (Christinne Muschi/The Canadian Press via AP)
United States team member Keegan Bradley, right, celebrates with caddie Scott Vail, left, following his win over International team member Si Woo Kim, of South Korea, in their fifth-round singles match at the Presidents Cup at the Royal Montreal Golf Club in Montreal, Sunday, Sept. 29, 2024. (Graham Hughes/The Canadian Press via AP)
United States team member Keegan Bradley reacts after a putt on the 18th green during a fifth-round singles match at the Presidents Cup golf tournament at Royal Montreal Golf Club, Sunday, Sept. 29, 2024, in Montreal. (Graham Hughes/The Canadian Press via AP)
United States team member Keegan Bradley, right, hugs his wife Jillian Stacey after winning the Presidents Cup golf tournament at Royal Montreal Golf Club, Sunday, Sept. 29, 2024, in Montreal. (Nathan Denette/The Canadian Press via AP)
United States team member Patrick Cantlay hits from the fourth tee during a fifth-round singles match at the Presidents Cup golf tournament at Royal Montreal Golf Club, Sunday, Sept. 29, 2024, in Montreal. (Christinne Muschi/The Canadian Press via AP)
United States team member Scottie Scheffler chips onto the 5th green during their fifth round singles match at the Presidents Cup golf tournament at Royal Montreal Golf Club on Sunday, Sept. 29, 2024, in Montreal. (Frank Gunn/The Canadian Press via AP)
International team member Taylor Pendrith, of Canada, reacts after winning the eighth hole during a fifth-round singles match at the Presidents Cup golf tournament at Royal Montreal Golf Club, Sunday, Sept. 29, 2024,in Montreal. (Graham Hughes/The Canadian Press via AP)
United States team member Xander Schauffele reacts after making a birdie on the first hole during their fifth round singles match at the Presidents Cup golf tournament at Royal Montreal Golf Club on Sunday, Sept. 29, 2024, in Montreal. (Frank Gunn/The Canadian Press via AP)
