WNBA ROUNDUP Monday's game

Lynx 61, Mercury 56
MINNEAPOLIS -- Although Minnesota's Katie Smith never made a basket, her free throw shooting proved too much for Phoenix. The score was tied with less than two minutes to play, then Smith hit eight free throws in the final minute for the Lynx (15-11). On the night, Minnesota was 20-for-20 from the line. Smith was held scoreless until the final minute. She failed to make a 3-pointer, breaking a string of 32 consecutive games with a 3. She was 0-for-6 from the floor -- the first time in her career she failed to make a basket. "This is just the way Phoenix plays," Smith said. "They're different than anyone else in the league, and they're tough. You need to make good decisions and tonight we didn't sometimes." Sheri Sam also was at her best late, scoring 13 of her 18 points in the second half. "Sheri comes with a reputation of being a scorer," Phoenix coach John Shumate said. "Tonight her opportunity came and she took advantage of it." The victory was Minnesota's seventh in a row at home, a franchise record. Phoenix, which won Sunday in Washington, led at the half and stayed close throughout thanks to 14 points each from Lisa Harrison and Tamicha Jackson. "We were able to slow the tempo down and stop their fastbreak," Harrison said. "We certainly thought we had a good chance to win this game, but Sheri hit a few big shots for them at the end." Neither team managed to shoot better than 30 percent in a sloppy first half. Minnesota led by seven at one point, but the Mercury (5-20) scored the final eight points of the half to emerge with a 19-18 lead at the break. Minnesota's effort, which featured 13 turnovers, was a season low for scoring in a half. "It was ugly, and it wasn't fun to watch," Lynx coach Suzie McConnell Serio said. "But I was proud of the way we responded in the second half. We were searching for answers and the starters brought us home."
-- Associated Press