Napheesa Collier poured in 30 points on 13-of-16 shooting as the Minnesota Lynx used a nearly perfect third quarter to pull away from the host Washington Mystics for a 99-83 win Saturday afternoon.
During the third, the Lynx (19-8) didn’t miss a shot from the field until the two-minute mark, and they finished the period 12-of-15 from the floor and 4-of-5 from 3-point range. Collier was sublime, making all six of her field-goal attempts for 15 points.
Minnesota’s 33-point quarter broke open a six-point game at halftime to take a 22-point lead over the Mystics (6-21) entering the fourth.
Bridget Carleton scored 16 points with three 3-pointers, Courtney Williams had 14 points and seven rebounds and Kayla McBride added 10 points and four steals as the Lynx completed a two-game sweep of Washington this week after beating the Mystics on Thursday in Minneapolis.
Washington big Stefanie Dolson shot a perfect 8-for-8 from the floor — 6-for-6 from 3-point range — for 23 points, tying a season high. Shakira Austin had 16 points, five rebounds and three steals for the Mystics, while Ariel Atkins and Shatori Walker-Kimbrough scored 11 points apiece.
Mystics starting forward Karlie Samuelson suffered a non-contact injury to her right knee and limped off the court just 1:14 into the game.
The Lynx led 22-16 after one quarter, but the Mystics chipped away at the deficit. Dolson got a friendly bounce on a 3-point attempt to tie it at 32. With 1:24 before intermission, Atkins rebounded her own missed 3 and flipped the ball to Walker-Kimbrough, whose triple gave the Mystics a short-lived 39-38 lead.
Carleton hit a long 3-pointer on the ensuing Lynx possession, sparking a 7-0 run to close the half that put Minnesota ahead 45-39.
Alanna Smith and Collier made back-to-back treys early in the third to give the Lynx some separation. Aaliyah Edwards and Dolson combined to score on three straight Washington possessions at one point, but Collier and the Lynx answered every time, as they made their first 10 field-goal attempts of the quarter.
The Lynx were up 78-56 after three and went on to lead by as many as 27 points. They outshot the Mystics 57.8 percent to 48.3 percent overall and made 11 of 21 3-point tries.
The Mystics struggled defensively but assisted on 26 of their 29 made baskets.
–Field Level Media
