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Lynx topple Liberty 75-68

Jun 23, 2010 - 4:04 AM NEW YORK(AP) -- Rebekkah Brunson had 21 points 13 rebounds and Seimone Augustus added 20 points to lead the Minnesota, but the Lynx lost Candice Wiggins to a ruptured Achilles' tendon in their 75-68 win over the New York Liberty on Tuesday night.

Wiggins, Minnesota's first-round draft choice out of Stanford in 2008, injured her left leg in the fourth quarter and left the game with 8 seconds remaining.

"Win the game, lose a player, kind of thing for the year," Minnesota coach Cheryl Reeve said. "Our hearts go out to Candice. Candice gives us a lot of things, she gives us flexibility, she gives a second ball handler. She was really getting going and playing well, she's a leader so were going to miss some intangibles and certainly some very specific basketball things and we're just going to have to find a way to fill the void."

Wiggins came in averaging 15.3 points and 3.0 rebounds per game.

Minnesota (5-9) has won three in a row and the Liberty (4-7) have lost three straight.

Nicky Anosike added 13 points and Lindsay Whalen added 11 for Minnesota.

"We wanted to come in and get our third win in a row, get on that streak," Anosike said.

Cappie Pondexter and Nicole Powell each scored 16 points to lead New York. Taj McWilliams-Franklin had 13 points and Janel McCarville added 10 for Liberty.

Trailing 59-45 early the fourth quarter, the Liberty went on a 17-3 run and tied the game at 62-62 on a free throw by Leilani Mitchell with 4:31 left. Powell had seven points during the spurt.

Augustus converted a three-point play to put the Lynx up 65-62. The Liberty retook the lead 66-65 on a layup by McWilliams-Franklin and two free throws by Pondexter.

Augustus then made a 3-pointer and another jumper in the last two minutes and the Lynx closed the game on a 10-2 run.

The Lynx, who were trailing 34-32 at the half, outscored the Liberty 24-11 in the third quarter.

"I just think we ran poor offense in the third quarter," Liberty coach Anne Donovan said. "But defensively there was lapses where we didn't communicate and that has been an issue for us."

"It was a really good third quarter for us," Reeve said. "We did it off our defense, I thought we got good deflections, we got out and ran a little bit, got some easy baskets, then it dried up a little bit."

"I think our offense wasn't as efficient and kind of let them back into the game. We were up 15 and we just gave them opportunities to get back in the game and they made big shots."

NOTES: Brunson had her seventh double-double of the season. ... McWilliams-Franklin got her 2,500th career rebound. She is the No. 1 leading rebounder in the WNBA among active players and No. 2 all time behind Lisa Leslie (3,307).