Much of the overall performance will not make it into the highlights, but Thursday’s result is still beneficial for the Lynx, especially the late development.
The Lynx had a hard time getting going on offense, but they rallied late in the fourth quarter and beat Washington 79-68 at Target Center.
For both teams it was the first game after an Olympic break of almost a month.
One of the strengths of this Lynx team is that Minnesota finds a way to get things done together even when things don’t go the way they want.
“We fought through it,” said coach Cheryl Reeve. “We had moments where we looked like ourselves.”
Defense has been a strength for the Lynx through the first two-thirds of the season. Minnesota has the best defensive rating in the WNBA and allows the second fewest points on average.
“I thought we were a little rusty at the beginning of the match, but I think we got it back together. I was really proud of how strong we stayed. It was pretty ugly, but we stayed together,” said Napheesa Collier, part of the gold medal-winning USA team.
The Lynx finished the game with a 16-5 run.
Collier and Courtney Williams provided the necessary impetus in the final phase of the game before Kayla McBride landed a few late stabs.
With the score at 63-63, Williams made a three-pointer with 4:24 minutes left and the Lynx never fell behind again.
“I’m just a player. If it’s about winning, I’ll do whatever I have to do,” Willilams said. “It was open, so I had to take it.”
Collier scored on a short turnaround jump shot, stole the ball on Washington’s next possession and scored a layup with 2:51 left to give the team a seven-point lead.
Collier led Minnesota with 17 points and 12 rebounds, and Williams had 14 points and five assists, the most on the team.
“Overall, Courtney’s second half was really good. She got going and we needed that,” Reeve said.
McBride, one of the league’s best long-range shooters, shot 2 of 8, but her three-pointer with 1:36 left gave the Lynx a 73-65 lead. Minnesota, the WNBA’s best three-point team, shot 8 of 26.
Washington scored the next three points, but with 42.6 seconds left, McBride secured a possession and Alanna Smith was able to make a fast-break layup. The Australian Olympian’s free throw extended the Lynx’s lead to eight points.
McBride had four steals this season, her career high being five.
Minnesota made 40% of its shots and had just 16 assists on 28 baskets. The average is 23 assists per game, a league-best.
“We had open shots that we missed, but I didn’t feel like we were able to move enough,” Reeve said.
Bolstered by a 14-0 run in the second quarter, Washington led 37-35 at halftime. Williams scored two baskets on a 9-2 run early in the third quarter to give the Lynx a 44-39 lead. Washington countered with a 9-2 run of its own to extend its lead to two points, and the teams essentially traded baskets for the rest of the quarter.
The game saw 19 lead changes and 12 draws.
With 14 games left in the regular season, Minnesota (18-8) is in third place in the WNBA. Washington is the worst team in the league at 6-20. The two teams will meet again in the nation’s capital on Saturday afternoon.
Originally published:
