Uncasville, Conn. ? Nykesha Sales had 17 points, and the Connecticut Sun held off a furious late-game rally from the Washington Mystics to win, 80-77, Sunday and clinch their second straight Eastern Conference title.

The Mystics scored 27 points in the final five minutes to roar back from 19 points down and had a chance to send the game into overtime with the last possession. But Delisha Milton-Jones back-rimmed a wide-open three-pointer as the buzzer sounded, and the Sun survived.

Connecticut (23-6) extended its winning streak to five and was playing its second straight game without 7-foot-2 center Margo Dydek, who is in Poland competing with the Polish national team.

Charlotte Smith-Taylor led the Mystics (14-14) with 17 points, and Alana Beard, who had 11 points in the late-game spurt, finished with 15.

Comets 75, Storm 72

Houston – Sheryl Swoopes scored 23 points, and Michelle Snow added 20, helping Houston end a three-game losing streak with a victory over Seattle. Leading 73-72, Houston’s Janeth Arcain missed a pair of free throws with 20 seconds to go. Seattle’s Sue Bird missed an open three-pointer with four seconds left, and Dominique Canty made two free throws to seal the victory for the Comets (16-13).

Liberty 73, Sting 65

New York – Becky Hammon scored 15 of her 19 points in the second half, and New York rallied to beat last-place Charlotte for the second straight game.

Vickie Johnson had 10 points, including three key layups down the stretch, to help the Liberty (16-13) win for the fourth time in five games. New York was playing for the first time since losing All-Star center Ann Wauters for at least four weeks because of a broken right hand.

Tammy Sutton-Brown led Charlotte (4-25) with 19 points. Tangela Smith added 14 points and Sheri Sam 13.

Fever 62, Mercury 56

Phoenix – Natalie Williams had 15 points and nine rebounds, helping Indiana beat Phoenix for its second win in three games.

Tamika Catchings added 12 points and eight rebounds for the Fever (17-12), who maintained a one-game lead over third-place New York in the Eastern Conference.

Anna DeForge scored a game-high 18 for the Mercury (13-14), who lost for just the third time in 13 games.

Williams hit a 15-footer with 3:30 left to give Indiana a 51-50 lead, then grabbed a key offensive rebound with 1:30 left that led to Kelly Schumacher’s free throws 16 seconds later. Kelly Miller hit a three-pointer and four free throws in the final minute to secure the victory.