The Sacramento Monarchs still have a pulse. The team with the WNBA's worst record came to Target Center on Thursday with one victory and a six-game losing streak.

Make that two Ws now.

Sacramento won 74-68, ending a three-game winning streak by the Lynx before an announced crowd of 6,920.

Rebekkah Brunson's basket underneath with 32 seconds left to play was the 15th lead change and put Sacramento ahead 69-68. After that, the Monarchs made five of six free-throw attempts while the Lynx (7-4) had a shot blocked, missed a normal three-pointer and a desperation shot from midcourt as time expired.

"[Sacramento] was at the bottom and they crawled their way out of it," Lynx coach Jen Gillom said. "They caught us on our worst night."

The Lynx struggled on three-pointers (5-for-25) and free throws (13-for-21). And they struggled with ballhandling (16 turnovers), and with rebounding under their basket. The Monarchs turned 15 offensive rebounds into 22 second-chance points; the Lynx had four points in that category.

"We didn't box out," Gillom said. "We didn't even make contact with them half the time. All they did was reach over us and get the rebound."

Nicole Powell had four three-pointers and scored a game-high 21 points for the Monarchs (2-8). Kara Lawson added 14.

Guard Roneeka Hodges led the Lynx, still tied for first place in the West with Phoenix, with 15 points. Nicky Anosike had 12 points and the other three starters 10 apiece.

"I was worried about this game," Gillom said. "When you got first place in the conference vs. last place in the conference, it happens. I tried my best to tell them before the game to stay focused. This team is going to come at you.

"In Sacramento, we barely escaped [winning 86-83 on June 16] with Seimone [Augustus]."

Augustus had 30 points in that game but suffered a season-ending injury the next night at Phoenix and was a spectator this time.

Said Hodges: "We just didn't come and play well today. Sometimes that happens. We can't act like this is the end of the world and panic because we lost one game. We just have to continue to work hard and bounce back."

Note • Augustus, who has a torn anterior cruciate ligament in her left knee, will have surgery on Tuesday. Dr. Joel Boyd, the team physician for the Lynx, Vikings and Wild, will operate.