Connecticut took sole possession of first and clinched a playoff berth by beating Charlotte.

"That was our first goal, to make the playoffs, and we accomplished it," Lindsay Whalen said. "Now we've got two more games to try to win the conference."

With the loss, Charlotte hurt its chances for homecourt and left open the possibility of missing the playoffs altogether. "I'm disappointed in how we played in such a big game," Dawn Staley said. "I thought we'd compete a little bit more, have a little energy. We controlled our destiny."

The Sting will probably have to win one of its final two games, both of which are on the road. Luckily, one of those two is in San Antonio.