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Fever bury Sun to advance to Finals

Oct 12, 2012 - 3:01 AM Uncasville, CT (Sports Network) - Tamika Catchings compiled 22 points and 13 rebounds as the Indiana Fever recorded an 87-71 drubbing of the Connecticut Sun in the deciding Game 3 of the WNBA Eastern Conference Finals.

Four other Fever players scored in double figures as Indiana moved to 4-0 in elimination games during this year's postseason and advanced to a meeting with the defending league champion Minnesota Lynx in the title round. Erin Phillips and Jeanette Pohlen netted 15 and 14 points, respectively, with Briann January adding 12 points and Shavonte Zellous contributing 11 off the bench to the win.

Indiana, which will be making its first Finals appearance since 2009, had tied this series with a 78-76 triumph in Monday's Game 2 and also rallied from a 1-0 deficit in its semifinal set with Atlanta.

The Fever shot 54.8 percent from the field and a sizzling 62.5 (10-of-16) from three-point range, with Pohlen knocking down all four of her shots from beyond the arc and Phillips hitting 3-of-4 triples.

2012 WNBA MVP Tina Charles paced the Sun with 18 points and 10 rebounds, while Kara Lawson finished with 16 points for the Eastern Conference regular-season champs.

Indiana held a slim 20-16 lead near the midway point of the second quarter before embarking on a 12-0 run capped by Pohlen's three-pointer. The margin increased to 19 points at the break after January's bank shot in the final minute of the first half enabled the Fever to go into the locker room with a 43-24 cushion.

Connecticut never seriously threatened afterward, trailing by a 68-48 score entering the fourth quarter and by as many as 24 points in the final period.

The best-of-five WNBA Finals will begin Sunday at Minneapolis' Target Center.