Sun May Have to Go Without Whalen

Connecticut Sun point guard Lindsay Whalen may have to sit out the WNBA finals against Sacramento after injuring her left knee Saturday in the Eastern Conference finals.

Whalen, who averaged 16.5 points through the first two rounds of the playoffs, has a small fracture in her left knee, team officials said Monday. The Sun open the best-of-five finals Wednesday.

Initial tests didn’t show the crack after her first-half collision with Tully Bevilaqua, and Whalen returned for the second half, scoring 13 of her 14 points.

“There’s a glimmer of hope that ... she might be able to play, because this tiny crack is so forward,” away from the area most stressed by running, Sun trainer Georgia Fischer said.