Swoopes, Snow help Comets weather Storm and end slide

Sheryl Swoopes scored 23 points and Michelle Snow added 20 to help the Houston Comets end a three-game losing streak with a 75-72 win over the Seattle Storm on Sunday in Houston.

Houston took the lead for good with 9:17 left in the game when Dominique Canty made a pair of free throws to make it 52-51.

After Janeth Arcain missed a pair of free throws with 20 seconds to go, Sue Bird missed an open 3-pointer with 4 seconds left. Canty made two more free throws to seal the win for the Comets.

Swoopes scored 14 points in the first half and Snow added 17 in the second as the Comets evened their season series with Seattle at 2-2. The Comets are now tied with the Storm in the Western Conference standings. Both teams have identical 16-13 records and are vying for the No. 2 seed in the West.

Lauren Jackson scored a team high 18 points for the Storm and Tanisha Wright scored a career-high 13.

Liberty 73, Sting 65: At New York, Becky Hammon scored 15 of her 19 points in the second half, and the Liberty rallied to beat last-place Charlotte.

Vickie Johnson had 10 points, including three key layups down the stretch, to help New York win for the fourth time in five games and move within a half-game of second-place Indiana in the Eastern Conference.

•The Liberty will be without All-Star center Ann Wauters for at least four weeks because of a broken bone in her right hand. Wauters injured her hand in Friday night’s win over Charlotte.

Sun 80, Mystics 77: At Uncasville, Conn., Nykesha Sales had 17 points and Connecticut held off a furious late-game rally from Washington to clinch their second straight Eastern Conference title.

Fever 62, Mercury 56: At Phoenix, Natalie Williams had 15 points and nine rebounds, helping Indiana beat the Mercury.

Anna DeForge scored a game-high 18 for Phoenix.