Brunson has 16 points, 10 rebounds to help rally Monarchs to 67-62 win over Fever

Brunson leads Monarchs past Fever, 67-62

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Rebekkah Brunson had 16 points and 10 rebounds, and the Sacramento Monarchs rallied in the closing minutes to beat the Indiana Fever 67-62 on Thursday night.

Nicole Powell had 14 points and 10 rebounds and Hamchetou Maiga-Ba scored 10 points for the Monarchs (8-18), who have the WNBA’s worst record and won at home for just the second time in eight games.

Katie Douglas scored 21 points for the Fever (19-6), who were trying to secure the first playoff berth this season.

Indiana, which lost for the sixth straight time at Arco Arena, still has the league’s best record. The Fever’s lead in the Eastern Conference was cut to five games on second-place Atlanta with nine games remaining.

Trailing 60-54 with 3:12 remaining, the Monarchs scored 11 consecutive points, including Ticha Penicheiro’s first 3-pointer of the season that gave Sacramento a 65-60 lead with 52 seconds left.

The Monarchs outscored the Fever 21-12 in the fourth quarter and dropped them to 4-4 against the West. Indiana also had a season-high 24 turnovers.

Douglas scored six points in the third quarter, including a 3-point shot that gave the Fever its first lead since the opening period. Indiana outscored the Monarchs 20-12 and led 50-46 going into the fourth.

Despite shooting only 35 percent, the Monarchs were still able to head into halftime with a 34-30 lead. Both Catchings and Douglas scored 11 points for the Fever, who had 16 turnovers that led to nearly half of Sacramento’s points.

Off to a slow start and down by four points after one quarter, the Fever committed 12 turnovers in the game’s first 14 minutes and saw the Monarchs score 10 straight points to take a 25-15 lead.

The Monarchs honored Yolanda Griffith throughout the game. Griffith, who played nine seasons in Sacramento, signed with Indiana in the offseason but was injured in the season-opener and has announced her retirement.