Lynx top Sparks to seal WNBA playoff berth

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- The last time the Minnesota Lynx beat the Los Angeles Sparks, rookies Nicole Ohlde and Vanessa Hayden were still in high school.
Ohlde scored 19 points and Hayden added 16 and a season-high nine rebounds Friday night to help the Lynx beat the Sparks 78-66 and clinch a playoff berth in the process.
The Lynx, who last beat Los Angeles on June 24, 1999, had lost 18 in a row to the Sparks.
"This is something we hoped we would see from the two of them," Lynx coach Suzie McConnell Serio said. "They complement each other very well.
"Ohlde has finesse and is a very versatile player, and we want to get Vanessa the ball down low and try to dominate inside."
McConnell Serio said it was Hayden's 14 points in the second half that "was a difference maker" in this game.
The Lynx, who improved to 18-5, tied the club's season record for victories and secured a playoff spot when Phoenix lost to the Washington Mystics 74-67.
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