Sun advance to conference finals with win

UNCASVILLE, Conn.— Nykesha Sales scored 18 points and Taj McWilliams-Franklin grabbed 11 rebounds Wednesday night to lead the Connecticut Sun to a 76-56 victory over the Washington Mystics and into the WNBA Eastern Conference finals.

Connecticut is in the league’s semifinals for the second straight year. The best-of-three series starts Friday night at New York.

Rookie Alana Beard scored 22 points for the Mystics, who had won six of their last eight games. Their run to the playoffs began improbably after star Chamique Holdsclaw left for undisclosed medical reasons and Beard emerged as the go-to player during that stretch.

Lindsay Whalen took over during a decisive 6-minute run in the first half and finished with 17 points.