Brian Hart, a rookie forward from Cumberland, was one of 18 players assigned to the Syracuse Crunch by the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Hart was a second-round draft pick in 2012 and signed a three-year contract with the Lightning in June, passing up his senior year at Harvard.

NHL: The Toronto Maple Leafs reassigned first-round pick Mitch Marner to the London Knights of the Ontario Hockey League.

BASKETBALL

WNBA: Maya Moore stole Noelle Quinn’s pass with 3 seconds left, was fouled and made a free throw with 1.5 seconds to go to give Minnesota a 72-71 victory over the Phoenix Mercury on Sunday in Phoenix, sending the Lynx to the WNBA finals with a two-game sweep in the Western Conference series.

Moore had career playoff-high 40 points to help Minnesota reach the title series for the fourth time in five seasons. Minnesota, the 2011 and 2013 champion, will face New York or Indiana in the best-of-five WNBA finals.

n Tamika Catchings scored 16 of her 25 points in the second half to help Indiana beat New York 70-64 in Indianapolis to force a deciding third game in the Eastern Conference finals.

The Fever overcame a 15-point deficit in the second half.

GOLF

EUROPEAN TOUR: Thongchai Jaidee shot a bogey-free 67 to win the European Open by one shot, in Bad Griesbach, Germany.

Jaidee, the overnight leader, had four birdies to add to his rounds of 68, 68 and 64 for a 17-under 267 on the course in southeastern Germany.

CHAMPIONS TOUR: Esteban Toledo held off 66-year-old Tom Watson by a stroke in Pebble Beach, California in the First Tee Open.

The 52-year-old Mexican player shot a 3-under 69, rebounding from a bogey on the par-3 17th with a par on the par-5 18th for a 9-under 206 total.

He also won twice on the 50-and-over tour in 2013.

AUTO RACING

FORMULA ONE: Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton pulled off an aggressive passing move on teammate Nico Rosberg and went on to win the Japanese Grand Prix in Suzaka, Japan, moving a step closer to claiming his second straight Formula One title.

With five races left, Hamilton has a 48-point lead over Rosberg.

SOCCER

MLS: Dominic Dwyer scored in the 79th minute to give Sporting Kansas City a 1-1 draw with the Seattle Sounders in Kansas City, Kansas, further tightening the top of the MLS Western Conference standings.

The Sounders opened the scoring in the 31st minute when Obafemi Martins shouldered off defender Kevin Ellis to finish a long ball from Gonzalo Pineda for his 14th goal.

• Matias Perez Garcia scored in the 87th minute to give the San Jose Earthquakes a 1-0 victory over Real Salt Lake in San Jose, California, a result they desperately needed to keep their playoff hopes alive.

HORSE RACING

BREEDERS’ CUP: Triple Crown winner American Pharoah worked out at Santa Anita in preparation for the final start of his career in the Breeders’ Cup next month.

With jockey Martin Garcia aboard, American Pharoah was timed in 1 minute for five furlongs.

– From staff and news services