Napheesa Collier had 15 points and 12 rebounds and was one of four Minnesota Lynx players to score in double figures in an 84-67 win over the New York Liberty on Saturday at Minneapolis.
Alanna Smith added 15 points, while Kayla McBride scored and Bridget Carleton each scored 14 for the Lynx. Carleton started in place of the injured Diamond Miller and delivered a season high in points.
Breanna Stewart’s 20 points and 11 rebounds led the Liberty, which scored just nine fourth-quarter points and went 7 of 29 from 3-point range. Minnesota made 14 of 28 3-point attempts, and its 47.8 field goal percentage was better than its league-leading 45.9 percent this season.
The Lynx (3-1) led 66-58 going into the fourth quarter, after New York rallied from a 21-point first-half deficit to tie the score twice in the third.
The Liberty (4-2) couldn’t come up with another run in the fourth quarter and lost their second straight game and first road game of the season.
The Liberty went several minutes between the end of the first and start of the second quarter without scoring and trailed 38-17 after Smith hit a 3-pointer early in the second quarter.
New York battled back behind Stewart and Courtney Vandersloot, who combined for 15 points in the second quarter as the Liberty cut the Minnesota lead to as low as three points before halftime.
Vandersloot’s free throw just before halftime had the Liberty deficit at 44-40 through two quarters.
Sabrina Ionescu’s deep 3-pointer with 4:31 to go in the third quarter tied the score at 52-all. But the Lynx scored 11 consecutive points to break a 55-55 tie, with two 3-pointers from McBride and one from Smith during that stretch just before the end of the third.
–Field Level Media
