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TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 1, 2015 SPORTS Shock, Sparks advance TULSA: Odyssey Sims scored 30 points, convert- ing six free throws in the final 19 seconds, and the Tulsa Shock held off Indiana 76-70 on Sunday to secure the franchise’s first playoff berth since 2009. The Shock had not reached the playoffs since moving to Tulsa from Detroit in 2010. The fran- chise already has announced that it will relocate to the Dallas-Ft. Worth area for the 2016 season. Tulsa (15-14) led by as many as 17 points in the first quarter after running off a string of 15 unanswered points and snapped a string of four straight home-court losses to Indiana (17-12). Karima Christmas had 18 points and Plenette Pierson added 11 for Tulsa. Tamika Catchings scored 22 points and grabbed 13 rebounds, but was the lone player to reach double figures in either category as Indiana had its club-record streak of four consecutive road victories snapped. SPARKS 60, STARS 52 Jantel Lavender scored a season-high 24 points as the Sparks kept the Stars winless on the road. The Sparks (12-18) opened a three- game home stand with their fourth win in five games after a 3-1 road trip. Los Angeles main- tained its hold on the final playoff spot in the Western Conference. Kristi Toliver scored 15 points for the Sparks and Candace Parker posted her 11th double- double in 14 games with 10 points and 11 rebounds. San Antonio (7-23) pulled within 49- 45 on Jia Perkins’s jumper with 7:20 left, but Toliver knocked down an 18-footer and Alana Beard converted a layup off a Parker feed to push the lead back to 53-45. Perkins finished with 15 points to lead the Stars. LYNX 71, MERCURY 61 Maya Moore scored 28 points and Sylvia Fowles added 14 points and 13 rebounds to help the Lynx beat the Mercury. Renee Montgomery had 15 points for the Lynx (20-10), who now lead Phoenix by three games in the Western Conference. Minnesota, which was 2-of-10 shooting to open the game and missed 11 straight shots in the second quarter, started the second half with SPAIN: MTN-Qhubeka Italian cyclist Kristian Sbaragli celebrates on the podium after a 10-2 run, including a 3-point play by Fowles winning the10th stage of the 2015 Vuelta Espana cycling tour. — AFP that gave the Lynx their first lead of the game, 41-39. A jumper by Moore with 2:53 to play gave Sbaragli wins Vuelta stage capped a 16-4 spurt and made it 66-56 - the Lynx’s biggest lead of the game. DeWanna CASTELLON: Italian Kristian Sbaragli Henao had been part of a 40-man Bonner scored 15 points, Candice Dupree added claimed his first Grand Tour victory in a breakaway group, but his presence forced 14 and Brittney Griner 13 for Phoenix (17-13). sprint finish to yesterday’s 10th stage of Dumoulin’s Giant-Alpecin team to push the Griner also grabbed seven rebounds and MINNEAPOLIS: Minnesota Lynx forwards Devereaux Peters (left) and Rebekkah Brunson (32) Spain’s Vuelta. pace in the peloton to prevent the break- blocked a season-high nine shots, the most in try to block the shot of Phoenix Mercury center Brittney Griner (42) during the first half of a The MTN Qhubeka rider beat the pre- away gaining too much ground. the WNBA this season. WNBA basketball game. — AP stage favourite, Germany’s John With the peloton grouped together clinch a berth in the playoffs. Delle Donne, who half and Natasha Cloud’s layup with 5:11 left in Degenkolb, into second place with Spain’s after the day’s major climb up the category SUN 72, SKY 68 sat out her second straight game with an injured the third quarter gave the Mystics (16-12) a 10- Jose Joaquin Rojas third to win the two Alto del Desierto de Las Palmas, the Prelsey Bone scored 25 points and foot, received the WNBA Cares Community point lead. The Storm scored the next 19 points, 146.6km ride from Valencia to Castellon in stage seemed set for Degenkolb, who won Connecticut kept its slim playoff hopes alive by Assist Award for July before the game. Courtney as the Mystics went scoreless for 8 minutes, 20 a time of 3hr 12min 43sec. four stages at last year’s Vuelta. erasing a nine-point, fourth-quarter deficit to Vandersloot picked up some of the offensive seconds, to make it 57-48 with 6:24 to play. There were no major changes in the Australian Caleb Ewan, winner of the earn a win over the short-handed Sky. slack, scoring 18 points, but without Delle An 11-5 run pulled Washington within three fight for the general classification so the fifth stage, had abandoned the race earlier Bone scored seven points in the final six min- Donne the Sky were just 1-for-8 from long range. with 2:34 left, but Seattle made 7 of 8 free Netherlands’ Tom Dumoulin maintains the in the day joining the likes of Nacer utes and Chelsea Gray added another six, includ- throws from there to seal it. The Storm shot 91.2 red jersey by 57 seconds from Spaniard Bouhanni and Peter Sagan as potential ing a big 3-point field goal for a 64-62 lead. STORM 69, MYSTICS 59 percent from the line, setting season highs for Joaquim Rodriguez with Colombia’s threats already to Degenkolb to have Connecticut (13-17) would have been elimi- Jewell Loyd had 18 points, making all 14 of both free throws made (31) and attempted (34). Esteban Chaves two seconds further back already withdrawn. However, Sbaragli held nated from the playoffs with a loss. Chicago (18- her free throw attempts, and Crystal Langhorne Ivory Latta scored 12 points for Washington, in third. “I tried to get in front of Degenkolb off a late push for the line by the German to 12) was without league-leading scorer Elena scored 15 to help the Storm beat the Mystics. which hasn’t won in Seattle in its last 10 tries, because he is stronger and had passed me seal a first win at the Vuelta for MTN Delle Donne and Cappie Pondexter, who had 22 Sue Bird added 12 points for the Storm (9-20). dating to July 13, 2005. Emma Meesseman and on other stages,” said Sbaragli. “I have to Qhubeka to go with their debut win at the points in Saturday’s 98-96 win over Atlanta to Washington led by as many as 13 in the first Kia Vaughn added 10 apiece. — AP take a risk to win and it is a dream for me to Tour de France last month thanks to Steve get the first win of my career.” Cummings. After the first rest day of the Chris Froome, who is aiming to become race on Tuesday, Wednesday’s daunting Dixon wins IndyCar championship just the third man to win the Tour de 138km 11th stage through Andorra France and the Vuelta in the same year, includes six categorised climbs with the SONOMA: Stefan Wilson stood in a circle of crew mem- Dixon made mention of Wilson. “He and Justin were Graham Rahal. Needing to get to fifth to win the title, remains 1min 18sec off the lead in eighth. threat of rain making for an even more bers in front of his brother’s car, the entire group pretty close. I know their families were close,” team he moved up one spot to seventh when he passed However, it wasn’t an easy day for his eventful stage than planned. swathed in T-Shirts commemorating Justin Wilson. owner Chip Ganassi said of Dixon. Dixon was a long- Rahal. He got up to sixth when Bourdais was penalized, Team Sky team-mates as Nicholas Roche “It is maybe the hardest stage I am ever The group spoke softly before Sunday’s season shot to win the title after falling 47 points behind then had five laps to close a 3.5-second deficit on Ryan and Sergio Henao both suffered crashes. going to do,” said Dumoulin. “It will be very finale, then broke by yelling “Justin!” in unison. Then Montoya to third in the standings. Montoya led the Briscoe to move to fifth. Montoya made a hard charge, Roche, though, recovered to remain fourth hard, but I will try my best. I don’t mind the they stood together at the car as Wilson was honored in standings from the season-opener until the final lap of ultimately slicing Briscoe’s lead to 1.6 seconds, but he in the overall standings. rain but hopefully it is not too bad.” — AFP a series of pre-race tributes at Sonoma Raceway. There the year. But in a race worth double points, Dixon domi- ran out of time to grab that final spot. He was pragmat- was a video of him, a moment of silence and “God Save nated. The title went to the New Zealand native based ic after the race. “It doesn’t matter what happened,” the Queen,” England’s national anthem, played as a trib- on number of wins: Sunday was Dixon’s third of the sea- Montoya said. “We had a few ways to win the champi- ute. son, while Montoya has just two. onship and we just threw it away. We didn’t close it.” His US top women’s Finally, the number 25 was written high above the “There was still a chance, and that’s what we were biggest disappointment, it seemed, was from the race raceway during a flyover.