Silver Stars beat buzzer, edge Lynx

Ann Wauters' 13-foot jump shot from the lane took one bounce on the front of the rim -- as the final horn blew -- then dropped in.

As the ball sank, so did the Lynx's hopes of creating a little cushion for themselves in the Western Conference standings.

Wauters' basket gave San Antonio an 89-87 victory Sunday at Target Center and enabled the Silver Stars to close within a half-game of the third-place Lynx.

"We really needed this one," said Becky Hammon, who fed Wauters the ball in the closing seconds while driving to the hoop. "They're a team we're competing with for the playoffs."

San Antonio's chances of a playoff spot with a top-four finish in the West improved a lot Aug. 1 when Wauters rejoined the team. The 6-4 Belgian center took the first half of her seventh WNBA season off to rest. She had been playing basketball year-round in the U.S. and overseas.

"Becky made a great play," Wauters said. "She found me. I was open, so I had to make that last shot."

Wauters, playing in her fourth game, finished with 13 points and six rebounds. She was 5-for-7 from the field.

"[Wauters] is a big presence inside," Lynx coach Jen Gillom said. "She disrupted a lot of our shots which normally we would make. Ruth Riley [Wauters' backup] is not as quick as she is or as agile as she is. That was a huge addition for them, but I still think we can beat them."

San Antonio is 2-1 against the Lynx (11-11) this season; the visiting team has won every game.

Not only are the Silver Stars (10-11) on the Lynx's heels now; Los Angeles (7-11) is only two games behind the Lynx and has four games in hand.

The Lynx thrilled an announced crowd of 7,764 with their late rally. Minnesota trailed San Antonio 67-50 before ending the third quarter with a 10-2 run, and the Lynx kept closing. Center Nicky Anosike's three-pointer with 21 seconds -- her first in the WNBA -- left tied the score at 87-87. The Lynx never touched the ball again.

Anosike finished with a game-high 24 points; Hammon, who made four three-pointers, had 22 for San Antonio.

"The only difference in the game: They shot really well from the three," Gillom said. "A few of them were open, but a lot of [their] threes were contested and they made them."

The Silver Stars were 13 of 33 three-pointers, the Lynx four of 13.