Without Collier, Lynx defeat Mystics 74-67 to return to the win column

MINNEAPOLIS — It was not necessarily a pretty game.

There had to have been times, sitting on the Lynx bench with a walking boot on her sore left foot that even Napheesa Collier might have wanted to look away.

But, playing without their star all night, playing without their shooting touch for much of the night, the Lynx managed to grind out a 74-67 victory over Washington at Target Center on Saturday night.

It came despite the Lynx shooting 38.6% for the night, despite Minnesota being outscored, 27-6 from early in the second quarter into the third.

But when Collier left the Lynx's loss Thursday night to Connecticut after aggravating the plantar fascia in her left foot, both Kayla McBride and Courtney Williams said they would have Collier's back.

For a night, they did.

But not until a 14-point second-quarter cruise had turned into a four-quarter dogfight.

But Minnesota had the final run.

Down two early in the fourth quarter, the Lynx put together a 7-0 run — started by Dorka Juhász's put-back and ended with McBride's three-pointer that put the Lynx up five. And Minnesota (15-6) held off the Mystics (5-17) the rest of the way to break a two-game losing streak.

Williams scored 17 points with seven assists and six rebounds. McBride also scored 17. Bridget Carleton had 13, Cecilia Zandalasini had 10. On the day she was officially named to the Australian Olympic team, Alanna Smith struggled with her shot, but the Lynx center had eight rebounds, three assists and two blocks.

Both Ariel Atkins and Shatori Walker-Kimbrough had 15 points, Walker-Kimbrough coming off the Wizards bench, which scored 29 points.

From the moment McBride opened the scoring with a three-pointer until Zandalasini hit a three for the Lynx's final points of the quarter, the first belonged to the Lynx, 25-14.

Both McBride and Williams hit threes, both scored nine points in the quarter, combining to make seven of eight shots. The Lynx had a 10-0 edge on points off turnovers, a 5-0 edge on second-chance points.

Minnesota built a 14-2 lead over the first 5-plus minutes of the game, holding the Mystics to 1-for-6 shooting and turning their five turnovers into seven points, and pretty much maintained that lead the rest of the quarter.

With Diamond Miller hitting a three, then scoring on a drive, the Lynx opened the second quarter pushing their lead to 30-16. At that point the Lynx were shooting 11 for 21 overall, 5 for 11 on threes and had a 10-0 edge on points off turnovers.

Then the game took a 180. Turning seven Lynx turnover into seven points, holding the Lynx to 3-for-19 shooting (0-for-9 on threes) for the rest of the half, getting 11 points from Walker-Kimbrough, the Mystics stormed back. Washington out-scored the Lynx 20-6 over the final 8 minutes of the second quarter, pushing to a 36-36 halftime tie.

When Stefanie Dolson hit a jumper with 8:08 left in the third quarter the Mystics, on a 27-6 run, led 43-36. The Lynx had made just three of their last 24 shots at that point.

Finally the Lynx got going. Williams followed Dolson's basket with one of her own. Then Zandalasini scored. When Bridget Carleton finally hit a corner three with 4-plus minutes left in the quarter — breaking a streak of 10 consecutive missed threes by the Lynx — the game was tied at 47-47. Zanalasini then hit another three to put her team up three.

But the Mystics ended the quarter on an 8-1 run to lead 57-55 entering the fourth.

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