Monarchs Hold Off Mystics

Yolanda Griffith scored her 3,000th point and Sacramento didn’t fall victim to a big WNBA comeback, but the Monarchs did watch an 18-point lead evaporate before hanging on for a 62-57 victory Sunday over the Mystics at Washington.

The Mystics (6-7) rallied after trailing 26-8 in the first half to tie the score, at 52-52, and then again, at 54-54, with 2:02 left in the second half.

Griffith answered with a layup, and Ticha Penicheiro’s three-point basket gave the Monarchs (9-3) a 59-54 lead with a minute left. Alana Beard converted a three-point play to pull the Mystics to within two, at 59-57, with 45 seconds left, but Nicole Powell’s jump shot and a free throw by DeMya Walker helped Sacramento pull away.

Griffith became the eighth player in WNBA history to reach the 3,000-point milestone. Her 12 points moved her to 3,003.

“It’s a great accomplishment, and it will be a pleasant memory for me when I retire,” Griffith said. “Currently, the most important thing for me is to continue to win and getting the team to the WNBA championship.”

Walker finished with 24 points, making 11 of 13 shots and grabbing seven rebounds for the Monarchs, who never trailed.

Beard led the Mystics with 15 points.

“We came out lacking intensity from the get-go,” Beard said. “They did whatever they wanted to. We had no answer and showed no emotion. In the second half, we played with a lot of heart.”

Minnesota 73, Seattle 70 -- Katie Smith finished with 22 points, scoring 15 of her team’s last 20 points to lead the Lynx (7-6) at Minneapolis.

Minnesota limited Lauren Jackson of the Storm (7-6) to six points on one-for-11 shooting.

Smith played only 19 minutes because of early foul trouble. She picked up two quick ones and got her fifth less than four minutes into the second half.

With Smith resting, Seattle came back to tie the score, at 47-47, with 9:30 left on Simone Edwards’ turnaround jump shot. The Storm took its first lead two minutes later on Sue Bird’s first field goal, a fastbreak layup that made it 52-51 with 7:29 left.

Smith returned with 6:20 left and the Lynx trailing, 54-51. She scored eight consecutive points during one stretch to put Minnesota ahead, 61-58.