Sacramento hangs on to upend Los Angeles for Game 1 triumph

Yolanda Griffith and Nicole Powell each scored 18 points and the Sacramento Monarchs held off a late rally to beat the Los Angeles Sparks 75-72 on Wednesday night in their WNBA playoff opener in Los Angeles.

The Monarchs blew most of a 16-point lead over the final 8 minutes, but hung on when Lisa Leslie missed two layups in the final seconds.

Sun 73, Shock 62: Nykesha Sales scored 19 points and Taj McWilliams-Franklin added 14 points and nine rebounds as Connecticut defeated Detroit in Game 1 of their first-round WNBA playoff series in Auburn Hills, Mich.

Katie Douglas, Lindsay Whalen and Asjha Jones all had 13 points for Connecticut.