McDonald scores a career-high 27 and the short-handed Fever beat the Mercury for 3rd straight win

4 days ago

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Aari McDonald scored a career-high 27 points, Aliyah Boston had 22 points and 12 rebounds, and the short-handed Indiana Fever beat the Phoenix Mercury 107-101 on Wednesday night for their third straight victory.
Indiana star Caitlin Clark was sidelined with a right groin injury and there's no timetable for her return. The Fever improved to 7-7 without Clark this season.
Boston scored Indiana's opening 14 points of the fourth quarter for an 88-79 lead. She finished with her fourth straight double-double.
Indiana's 10th 3-pointer came on Chloe Bibby's shot from the corner with 5:27 remaining to make it 91-83. Then Sophie Cunningham was fouled while making a 3-pointer and she made the free throw for an 11-point lead.
Cunningham and Damiris Dantas each scored 12 points for Indiana (15-12), which scored 100-plus for the third time this season. Kelsey Mitchell, who scored a season-high 35 points on Sunday, was held to eight points on 3-of-10 shooting.
Alyssa Thomas led Phoenix (16-10) with 32 points, 15 rebounds and seven assists. Kahleah Copper, who played in her 10th game this season, added 22 points and Sami Whitcomb scored 18. The Mercury have lost four of their last five games.
Indiana dominated the second quarter, scoring 35 points to take a 55-50 lead into the break. Phoenix only made one field goal in the final three minutes of the period, with Whitcomb just beating the halftime buzzer on a long 3-pointer.
Familiar faces
In the first of three meetings this season, Cunningham faced the Mercury for the first time after spending her first six professional seasons in Phoenix. DeWanna Bonner went against the Fever for the first time since departing the team earlier this season. Bonner went 1 of 4 from the field in 21 minutes.
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AP WNBA: https://apnews.com/hub/wnba-basketball

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Rain leaves England-India series on a knife edge

Yahoo

12 minutes ago

Yahoo

Rain leaves England-India series on a knife edge

England had moved to within 35 runs of securing a famous victory over India when bad light and torrential rain ended an extraordinary fourth day of the final Test at The Oval on Sunday. Harry Brook and Joe Root shared a superb fourth-wicket partnership of 195 to put England on the brink of completing a record run chase that would have given them a 3-1 series win. With India on the ropes, however, and England needing just another 73 runs, Brook played a wild stroke and skied a catch to depart for 111. That gave India a glimmer of hope and they made the most of it. Jacob Bethell also fell to a rash shot for five and Root, having completed a masterful 39th Test century, nicked a catch to wicketkeeper Dhruv Jurel off Prasidh Krishna to spark wild Indian celebrations. In mounting tension, Jamie Smith and Jamie Overton struggled to get bat on ball, surviving several frenzied appeals before the umpires decided it was too dark to continue. The players left the field and shortly afterwards a heavy rain shower made conditions unplayable, depriving the crowd of a tense finale to a day of unremitting drama. But a wonderful series - all five Tests have now gone into a fifth day - will receive a nerve-racking denouement. England will resume on 6 for 339 on Monday, with bowler Chris Woakes unlikely to bat due to a dislocated shoulder, and India still in with a chance of a victory that would level a gripping five-match series. Woakes could be seen kitted up and with his arm in a sling, though, and could conceivably find himself at the crease on Monday, though presumably only at the non-striker's end. India had the better of the morning session after England resumed on 1-50, dismissing Ben Duckett for 54 and Ollie Pope for 27 to leave the hosts wobbling on 3-106. Brook, on 19, was lucky to survive when Mohammed Siraj caught him in the deep before stepping back on to the boundary cushion. Out? Six!?What's Siraj done 😱 — England Cricket (@englandcricket) August 3, 2025 The prolific right-hander made him pay a heavy price for the error, striking two sixes and 12 fours all round the ground to reach his 10th Test century off 91 balls. Root provided the perfect foil, continuing his consistent form throughout the series, as the Indian bowlers struggled to get much movement under grey skies. Once past three figures, Brook launched an all-out attack, hitting Akash Deep for two fours in an over before attempting a third and Siraj completed the catch on this occasion. Brook's bat flew out of his hands as he played the stroke and he had to retrieve it before returning to the pavilion to a standing ovation from the crowd. He probably believed he had done enough to ensure victory for his team but India had other ideas. The highest successful run chase at The Oval was England's 9-263 against Australia in 1902.