Lynx win home finale, stay in playoff hunt

The Lynx looked out of sync and unlucky -- shots were rimming out -- for most of the fourth quarter on Wednesday night against the red-hot Detroit Shock.

Despite being desperate for a victory, Minnesota went almost 8 1/2 minutes without a basket in the final quarter at Target Center. Yet, in the end, the Lynx rallied to win 75-72 before an announced crowd of 7,423.

With their second victory in a row, the Lynx (14-18) moved into a fourth-place tie with San Antonio in the WNBA Western Conference with two games left. The Silver Stars, though, have the head-to-head tiebreaker. So the Lynx need assistance.

Little-used Anna Montanana made the biggest shot of the night for the Lynx. She grabbed a rebound and banked in a short shot with 29.6 seconds left. That put Minnesota ahead 71-69.

Montanana, a star in Spain who was signed after the All-Star break, had a season-high 12 points, plus four rebounds and three assists.

"It feels amazing because I have been struggling," the 6-1 forward said. "It was hard for me to adjust to a new league even though everyone was helping me through it. Tonight was just great because now I know I can help this team."

Lynx coach Jen Gillom said the team's defense in the fourth quarter was a huge difference, too.

At least not enough to take command. After two Lynx free throws, the Shock went on a 13-0 run to take a 69-64 lead.

Guard Renee Montgomery's three-pointer with 1:38 left broke the Lynx's scoring drought from the field and started a 9-0 run.

The Shock (16-16) had won seven of eight, but guard Deanna Nolan, the Player of the Week in the Eastern Conference the past two weeks, was a woeful 3-for-19 from the field and had nine points.

Six players scored in double figures for the Lynx, who played without starting center Nicky Anosike for the second game in a row. She has a partially torn meniscus in her left knee and won't be on the Lynx's season-ending road trip to Los Angeles and Sacramento.