Sun shine again on way to Finals
Taj McWilliams-Franklin burst into tears at the buzzer, her emotions finally getting the best of her.
The Connecticut Sun are heading to the WNBA Finals for the first time.
Her 18 points and nine rebounds yesterday led the Sun to a 60-57 win over the New York Liberty in Uncasville, Conn., for a two-game sweep of the Eastern Conference finals.
An original member of the Orlando Miracle, which moved to Connecticut last season, McWilliams-Franklin went 1 for 2 at the line with 48 seconds left, giving the Sun a 55-54 edge. New York was denied a fifth trip to the championship series.
"It's been seven long years for me," McWilliams-Franklin said. "It's remarkable. All I was thinking was to try and get some rebounds and get some extra opportunities to score."
The Sun squandered plenty of scoring chances early on, missing open layups off their transition game. But McWilliams-Franklin kept them in the game with time running out. She had a key defensive rebound with less than 1 1/2 minutes left that led to a fast-break layup by rookie guard Lindsay Whalen, making it 54-54.
"I thought she kind of willed us to win between her rebounding and her help on defense," Sun coach Mike Thibault said. "In the end, she was the one person who stepped up and kept making shots around the basket. I think her teammates knew they could ride her back."
Katie Douglas extended Connecticut's lead to 59-54 by hitting all four of her free throws down the stretch. New York had three turnovers in the final seconds but countered with a 3-pointer from Elena Baranova with 1.7 seconds left. Whalen sealed the victory by making a free throw with .6 seconds left.
"Their defense was good, but I thought our execution was poor at the end," Liberty interim coach Pat Coyle said. "Down the stretch that can't happen." Douglas finished with 14 points for the Sun, while Whalen and Nykesha Sales added 11 apiece. Vickie Johnson led New York with 19 points.
Storm 66, Monarchs 54 -- Lauren Jackson scored 23 points and pulled down nine rebounds, leading host Seattle and forcing a third and decisive game with Sacramento in the Western Conference finals.
