Lynx Surge in Third Quarter to Come Back, Beat Stars 83-76

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Maya Moore matched a season-high with 32 points and the Minnesota Lynx clinched a playoff spot with an 83-76 victory over the San Antonio Stars on Tuesday night.

The Lynx (17-6) have won consecutive games since losing at Phoenix on Aug. 7 to stretch their Western Conference lead to 2 1/2 games over the Mercury. The Stars (7-17) have lost five of their last six games and are 0-12 on the road.

Minnesota's Lindsay Whalen had nine assists, and is third in WNBA history with 2,001.

The Stars led 48-37 early in the third quarter. Moore, who was held to just eight points in the first half, scored 12 of Minnesota's 30 third-quarter points to give the Lynx a 65-59 lead.

Kayla McBride hit a 3-pointer to pull the Stars to 79-76 with 23 seconds left before Moore made four free throws to seal it.

Copyright 2015 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

See Also from ESPN 99.1: