Comets Hold Off the Lynx

Tina Thompson scored 24 points and grabbed 10 rebounds to lead the Houston Comets to a 51-46 victory Monday night over the Minnesota Lynx.

Janeth Arcain added 13 points as the Comets (15-6) improved to 9-0 against the Lynx (7-14), who made only 11 shots from the field in 55 attempts before a crowd of 7,352.

Svetlana Abrosimova scored 20 points and had a career-high 11 rebounds for the Lynx, who have lost four of five.

The Comets moved within 3 1/2 games of the first-place Sparks in the Western Conference.

Minnesota forced 16 turnovers and made 23 of 30 free throws to counteract a franchise-low field-goal percentage. The Lynx were only one of 15 from three-point range.

Thompson got the Comets off to a quick start with 14 points and four rebounds in the first half as Houston took a 27-26 lead.

It took the Lynx just under nine minutes to score 11 points; Minnesota needed an entire half to get that many in its last meeting with Houston on June 30.

Abrosimova got to the foul line early to keep the Lynx competitive. She was eight for 10 in the first half, and Katie Smith scored six points in the final 2 1/2 minutes to pull the Lynx within one.

Abrosimova spurred a Lynx charge to start the second half, with six points in the first four minutes as Minnesota took a 31-30 lead.

But Thompson made a key three-pointer with 2:51 remaining and added two foul shots and an offensive rebound down the stretch.

Lynx center Maylana Martin didn’t play because of lower back spasms and is day to day.