The Mystics have won their first WNBA championship, getting 22 points from Emma Meesseman and 21 from banged-up league MVP Elena Delle Donne to beat the Sun 89-78 in Game 5 of the Finals on Thursday night in Washington.

The victory gave coach Mike Thibault his first title. The league’s all-time winningest coach had reached the Finals three times in his career — twice with the Sun — and last season with the Mystics, but fell short each time.

Delle Donne, who has a herniated disk in her back, scored four points during a decisive 8-0 run that gave the Mystics an 80-72 lead with under three minutes left.

Meesseman was named MVP of the Finals.

Baseball: The Phillies fired manager Gabe Kapler, two weeks after completing their first nonlosing campaign since 2012 at 81-81. Kapler went 161-163 in two seasons.

College basketball: The NCAA denied a request for Wisconsin junior F Micah Potter to play during the fall semester after transferring from Ohio State two days before last season’s opener. Potter will be eligible to play beginning Dec. 21 against Milwaukee.

Golf: Austin Cook and Talor Gooch each shot an 8-under 64 to share a one-stroke lead after the first round of the Houston Open in Humble, Texas.

Gymnastics: Simone Biles won her fifth all-around title at the world championships, finishing 2.1 points ahead of China’s Tang Xijing in Stuttgart, Germany. No other woman has won more than three all-around titles. Biles, 22, now has a 22 career world championship medals across all events, the most by any woman and one shy of Belarusian Vitaly Scherbo’s men’s record.

Soccer: Top-ranked Belgium became the first team to qualify for next year’s European Championship with a 9-0 group-play victory over visiting San Marino. Belgium matched their record for the biggest margin of victory.

— News services