Fever 78, Sun 76
INDIANAPOLIS -- Shavonte Zellous scored the go-ahead basket with 0.5 seconds remaining and the Indiana Fever knocked off the Connecticut Sun 78-76 on Monday night to even the best-of-three Eastern Conference finals series at a game apiece.
The Sun had tied the game at 76 with 12 seconds left on Allison Hightower's baseline shot. She was fouled on the play, but missed the free throw, setting up Zellous' game-winner.
Katie Douglas scored a game-high 24 points to lead the Fever, and Tamika Catchings added 21.
Kara Lawson led the Sun with 18 points, including three 3-pointers.
Douglas scored a go-ahead basket on a drive with 56 seconds left in the game. She added a free throw on the play to give the Fever a 74-72 lead.
Then Tina Charles was fouled with 34 seconds left and made both free throws to tie the game at 74.
Catchings answered by driving to the basket for a score that made it 76-74 in Indiana's favor with 21 seconds remaining before the closing sequence.
The Sun controlled the opening minutes of the game and was able to regain the lead after falling behind late in the first half.
Hightower hit a 3-pointer to give the Sun a 50-48 lead midway through the third quarter.
The Sun fell behind again, but Renee Montgomery hit back-to-back 3-pointers to turn a 63-57 Sun deficit into a 63-63 tie.
Catchings was fouled and scored both free throws with 6:33 left to make it 65-63.
Asjha Jones then hit a 3-pointer to give the Sun the lead again, 66-65.
Catchings and Douglas did everything they could in the first half to keep the Fever alive in the series.
Catchings led the game with 17 points at halftime, and Douglas had 15 at the break.
The Sun took charge early, going on an 11-0 run to start the game before the Fever finally scored.
Charles, who is second in the league in scoring at 20 points a game, hit a 3-pointer to start the game, then scored on a short jumper to go up 5-0.
After the slow start, the Fever slowly chipped away and got within 19-18 at one point on a Catchings 3-pointer. But Indiana was never able to take the lead in the first quarter, which ended with the Sun holding a 24-20 advantage.
With the Fever trailing 33-36 midway through the second quarter, Catchings hit two free throws to get the Fever within five and was in a thorn in Connecticut's side the rest of the half.
Catchings added two baskets and a free throw in a stretch late in the first half.
Douglas scored with 1:44 left in the first half to give the Fever its first lead of the game, 40-39, and the Fever led at halftime 46-43.
