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.
The Sports Network