MINNEAPOLIS (AP) Maya Moore scored 19 points and Rebekkah Brunson had a franchise playoff-record 19 rebounds to lead the Minnesota Lynx to a 67-60 victory over the Phoenix Mercury in the opener of the Western Conference finals Thursday night.
Seimone Augustus added 14 points for Minnesota, which trailed early, but used a big second quarter run to take over the game and led throughout the second half.
Dewanna Bonner led Phoenix with 21 points, including a pair of long-range 3-pointers in the final minute, cutting Minnesota’s lead to 64-60 with 38.5 seconds to play. But Moore hit two free throws as the Lynx moved within a win of a trip to the WNBA Finals.
Candice Dupree had a team-high 12 rebounds for Phoenix, but was assessed a technical foul in the fourth quarter for protesting a call.
Game 2 in the best-of-three series is Sunday in Phoenix.