Sales, Sun seize their 6th straight

Nykesha Sales hit a buzzer-beating jump shot to complete a comeback that gave the streaking Sun a 79-77 overtime victory over the Indiana Fever last night in Uncasville, Conn.

Indiana was in front, 77-74, when Sales connected on a 3-pointer with 36 seconds remaining in OT. The basket at the buzzer gave Sales 21 points and Connecticut its sixth straight victory.

Taj McWilliams-Franklin added 20 points, and Lindsay Whalen had 16 points and 10 assists for Connecticut, which leads the East by a game over Indiana and Charlotte.

Indiana's Tamika Catchings had 24 points, Kelly Miller added 20, and Natalie Williams had 16 points and 15 rebounds.

Whalen led a 14-3 surge to the end of regulation after the Sun trailed by as many as 11 points in the second half. Whalen scored 7 in the run, but missed a tiebreaking free throw with eight seconds remaining.

Catchings missed a 3-pointer in the final second, and the game went to overtime.

A 3-pointer by Stephanie White with 1:02 remaining gave the Fever a 77-74 lead before Sales tied it with her 3-pointer. The Fever outrebounded the Sun, 43-21, and never trailed until Sales's game-winning shot.

Liberty 73, Monarchs 66 -- Becky Hammon scored a season-high 26 points -- including 4 over the final 31 seconds -- and host New York beat Sacramento in Patty Coyle's debut as interim head coach of Liberty.

Vickie Johnson had 15 points and rookie Shameka Christon added a season-high 12 points and six rebounds for New York, which closed the game with a 23-7 run over the final 7:43.

Yolanda Griffith had 17 points and Kara Lawson added 15 for Sacramento, which has lost consecutive games after a three-game winning streak.

Coyle, an assistant with the Liberty since 1998, was named interim coach Saturday, replacing Richie Adubato, who was fired.

New York was within 2 (45-43) on Christon's layup with 12:51 left, but Sacramento pushed its lead back to 9 on Lawson's short fadeaway for a 59-50 lead with eight minutes remaining. The Liberty then went on their game-ending run, started by a 3-pointer by Christon.

Shock 82, Comets 63 -- Swin Cash had 19 points and 11 rebounds for Detroit, which ended a four-game losing streak by dumping Houston in Auburn Hills, Mich.

Cash, playing on a sprained ankle, came close to achieving the third triple double in WNBA history. She had eight assists and six steals as Detroit beat Houston for the first time in 10 tries.

Ruth Riley and Cheryl Ford scored 16 points apiece.

Houston got 13 points and 14 rebounds from Michelle Snow, but lost its third straight.