Charlotte, N.C. ? Shameka Christon scored seven of her 18 points in the second overtime, and the New York Liberty overcame an 18-point first-half deficit to beat the league-worst Charlotte Sting, 82-74, Friday night.

Christon hit two jumpers and had a three-point play in a game-ending 11-3 run for the Liberty, who trailed 34-16 late in the first half.

Vickie Johnson scored 20 points, and Elena Baranova added 18 points and 10 rebounds as New York (15-13) moved into sole possession of third place in the Eastern Conference, a half-game ahead of Washington.

Sheri Sam scored 16 points, Tammy Sutton-Brown scored 15, and Tangela Smith had 14 points and eight rebounds for the Sting (4-24), who have dropped 12 of 13 overall and three of four since Muggsy Bogues took over as coach.

“We played extremely hard and they did everything I asked them to do,” Bogues said. “We accomplished some goals tonight. We just missed some opportunities in the latter part of the game.”

Storm 72, Lynx 66

Minneapolis – Sue Bird scored a season high-tying 20 to lead Seattle. Lauren Jackson had 17 points and 10 rebounds, and Janell Burse added 10 points for Seattle (16-12), which won for just the second time in nine road games. The Storm stretched their lead to one game ahead over the Houston Comets for second place in the Western Conference.

Chandi Jones scored a career-high 16 points, and Vanessa Hayden added 14 points and 11 rebounds for Minnesota (13-16), which was playing its fourth game in six nights. The Lynx dropped into a tie with Los Angeles for fifth place in the West.

Mercury 76, Monarchs 62

Phoenix – Penny Taylor led five Phoenix players in double figures with 23 points, and the Mercury snapped Sacramento’s seven-game winning streak. The Mercury (13-13) moved 1 1/2 games ahead of Minnesota for the fourth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference.

Maria Stepanova and Anna DeForge each had 14 points for Phoenix, which has won 10 of 12.

Nicole Powell scored 20 points, 17 in the first half, for first-place Sacramento (20-8), which won nine of its previous 11.