Whalen, Sun sweep away Shock

Lindsay Whalen scored 27 points, and Nykesha Sales grabbed a career-high 12 rebounds to lead the Connecticut Sun to a 75-67 victory Friday night over the Detroit Shock for a sweep of their WNBA playoffs series at Uncasville, Conn.

The Sun, who advance from the first-round Eastern Conference success to play Indiana on Thursday, beat the best rebounding team in the league at its own game. The Sun finished off the two-game sweep by outrebounding the Shock 47-42 with a physical post game.

Taj McWilliams-Franklin added 16 points and eight rebounds for the Sun.

Deanna Nolan scored 23 points for the Shock. Detroit’s leading rebounders, Cheryl Ford and Ruth Riley, fouled out in the closing minutes. Ford finished with 13 points.

Monarchs 81, Sparks 63: At Sacramento, Calif., the Monarchs got 13 points apiece from Ticha Penicheiro and Yolanda Griffith, and swept Los Angeles out of the playoffs.

Sacramento pulled away in the second half to win the Western Conference series in two games. It was the second straight first-round exit for the Sparks, who also lost to Sacramento in 2004.