Lindsay Whalen scored 16 points to pace a balanced scoring effort and the Minnesota Lynx held off the Sky 79-76 on Friday night at Allstate Arena.
Sylvia Fowles scored 28 points to lead the Sky (10-14), which has lost four of its last five. Tamera Young added 16.
"We need to have to have a sense of urgency," Fowles said. "We're not that good just yet to relax and take plays off and play as individuals. We have to play as a team. ... It showed tonight, everybody was scoring and getting involved."
The Sky scored six consecutive points in a 34-second span to pull to 78-76 on Eshaya Murphy's layup with 39 seconds to go, but she missed a layup with three seconds left. Taj McWilliams-Franklin made one of two from the line, and Tamera Young missed desperation three-pointer at the buzzer.
Seimone Augustus had 14 points, Maya Moore scored 13 and Candice Wiggins 12 for Minnesota (17-5), which won for the 10th time in 11 games and 12th in 14.
Sky coach Pokey Chatman said her team didn't take a moral victory from playing a close game against the league-best Lynx.
"That is not an option," she said. "They know a 'W' is what counts. I'm in that locker room and I see the disappointment."
Tennis
Djokovic remains on a roll
While other top players have fallen, top-ranked Novak Djokovic keeps cruising along at the Rogers Cup in Montreal.
The world's No. 1-ranked player from Serbia needed just 1 hour, 13 minutes to beat fifth-seeded Gael Monfils of France 6-2, 6-1 to advance to the semifinals of the Master Series tournament.
He will face another Frenchman, 13th-seeded Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, who ousted No. 8 seed Nicolas Almagro of Spain 6-4, 6-4.
"I have played the best match of the tournament, no doubt," said the 24-year-old Djokovic, who is 15-1 against top-10 players this year and 51-1 overall. "I'm happy to see my game is progressing each day."
American Mardy Fish also advanced, surviving an error-filled second set to defeat 14th-seeded Stanislas Wawrinka of Switzerland 6-3, 6-7 (5), 6-0.
◆ Serena Williams rallied for a hard-fought 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 victory over Lucie Safarova at the Rogers Cup in Toronto, reaching the semifinals as she continues her comeback from injury and illness.
The unseeded Williams next will play fourth-seeded Victoria Azarenka, who made quick work of No. 135 Galina Voskoboeva with a 6-1, 6-2 victory.
Samantha Stosur also gained the semis, defeating Roberta Vinci 6-4, 6-1. Stosur will take on Agnieszka Radwanska, who beat No. 11 Andrea Petkovic 6-4, 6-3.
Miscellaneous
Texas A&M ponders switch
The Texas A&M System board of regents has called a special meeting Monday that includes an agenda item about conference alignment. The session comes amid speculation that Texas A&M is leaving the Big 12 for the Southeastern Conference. Texas A&M considered switching to the SEC last year. The university hasn't confirmed it is again discussing a jump to the SEC, but talk has been intensifying that the Aggies are looking to leave.
◆ Defending champion Danielle Kang, 18, beat Demi Frances Runas 4 and 3 to advance to the semifinals in the U.S. Women's Amateur golf tournament at Rhode Island Country Club in Barrington, R.I.
◆ Aaron Garcia threw a 10-yard touchdown pass to Jeron Harvey on the final play to give the Jacksonville Sharks their first Arena Football League title with a 73-70 victory over the Arizona Rattlers in Phoenix. AP
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