UNCASVILLE, Conn. - Diamond DeShields scored a career-high 30 points and the Chicago Sky beat the Connecticut Sun 109-104 in overtime Friday night to hand the WNBA regular-season title to Washington.
Chicago took a 34-33 lead in the highest-scoring first-quarter in league history.
Chicago point guard Courtney Vandersloot had 19 points and 11 assists to pass Sue Bird with 29 points/assists double-doubles. Astou Ndour added 18 points.
The Sky (20-13) moved into a tie with Las Vegas for the fourth seed and a first-round bye in the playoffs. All teams have one game left to play Sunday.
Connecticut (23-10) entered with a 15-1 home record but dropped two games behind the Mystics. The Sun will be the No. 2 seed in the playoffs and have a double-bye into the semifinals.
Courtney Williams made three free throws with 1.3 seconds in regulation to tie it at 94. She scored the first seven points in OT for the Sun, but they couldn't keep pace with the Sky. DeShields hit a long jumper for a 99-98 lead with three minutes left. Ndour followed with a step-back jumper and Vandersloot had two free throws for a 103-98 lead with 1 1/2 minutes to play.
Williams scored 25 points for the Sun, and Shekinna Stricklen added 14.
Chicago erased a 10-point deficit in the fourth quarter with a 10-0 run. It was the first overtime game of the season for both teams.