MINNEAPOLIS – The Minnesota Lynx finished the game with 57.1 percent in both field goal shooting and three-point shooting to take a 97-84 victory over the Indiana Fever in front of a 15,124-strong crowd at Target Center on Sunday afternoon.
Playing without Chloe Bibby, Caitlin Clark, Sydney Colson, Sophie Cunningham and Aari McDonald, who were all out rehabbing various injuries, with only Clark traveling with the team cheering her teammates from the sidelines, the Fever still took the fight to the first-place Lynx in the opening quarter.
Center Aliyah Boston got the scoring started with a layup. Minnesota guard Kayla McBride answered with a three-pointer. But Boston scored the next two layups to give the visiting Fever the early 6-3 lead with 8:13 left in the opening quarter.
Minnesota forward Napheesa Collier, in her first game back from injury, made a short jumper for her first points since going down with an ankle injury on Aug. 2 at Las Vegas. Fever guard Odyssey Sims answered with a three-pointer, which was followed with a put back layup from forward Natasha Howard. Lynx forward Alanna Smith and Boston exchanged layups. Lynx guard Courtney Williams picked up her second foul of the quarter and was replaced by guard Natisha Hiedeman. Howard then made another put back layup to make the score 15-7 in favor of the Fever with 5:31 left in the first quarter when the Lynx called timeout.
The Lynx found their perimeter touch coming out of the timeout. McBride hit a three-pointer. It was answered by one from Mitchell. Collier hit a three-pointer. It was answered by a layup from Mitchell. Hiedeman made a three-pointer, but then Smith followed up with a jump shot and Indiana called timeout while holding onto a 20-18 lead with 3:04 left until the quarter break.
Indiana went on an 8-0 run when play resumed. Guard Shey Peddy scored a layup and made a free throw after getting fouled by Hiedeman. Mitchell canned a three-pointer and was fouled by Smith while in the process of shooting another trey. She made two of three free throws to give the Fever a ten point lead.
Hiedeman picked off a pass for a steal which she converted into a fast break layup. Collier made a layup which was answered by one from Mitchell. Collier scored a put back layup and made a free throw after getting fouled by forward Brianna Turner on the play. Indiana led 30-25 when the first quarter came to a close. Both teams shot over 50 percent in field goal shooting in the quarter.
Minnesota responded in the second quarter with a layup from guard DiJonai Carrington which was followed by a jump shot from Collier. Suddenly the Indiana lead shrunk to a single point.
The Fever responded with a reverse layup from Howard; a short jumper from guard Aerial Powers and a free throw after getting fouled by Collier; and a layup from Mitchell. The Fever lead went back to eight points.
Minnesota responded with a three-pointer from Courtney Williams and layups from McBride and forward Bridget Carleton, to make it a one-point game again, as Indiana led 37-36 with 5:06 left until halftime.
The teams traded baskets for the next three minutes. Guard Lexie Hull made a three-pointer to extend the Fever lead to four points. Lynx forward Maria Kliundikova responded with a short jump shot. Peddy banked a three-pointer off the glass. McBride answered with a three-pointer on the other end. Mitchell made two free throws after getting fouled by Carleton. Klundikova made a layup. The Fever led 45-43 with 2:29 left until halftime when they called timeout.
Kliundikova made a jump shot to tie the score 45-45 when play resumed. Collier made a turnaround jump shot for the two-point lead. Kliundikova finished the quarter strong with a layup and three-pointer. Target Center was so loud that the Fever lost track of the shot clock and nobody heard the shot clock buzzer go off. A referee’s whistle blew the play dead signifying the turnover. Minnesota finished the quarter on a 14-2 run over the last 3:17 to take a 52-45 halftime lead. The Fever shot 50.0 percent in the first half while the Lynx made 62.9 percent of their field goals.
The third quarter started with an extension of the Lynx run when Collier made a jump shot and three-pointer. The run was now 19-2 and Minnesota led 57-45 with 9:14 left in the third quarter when the Fever called timeout.
Boston and Mitchell each scored layups when play resumed. Courtney Williams hit a long jump shot and free throw after getting fouled by Boston. Mitchell and Williams exchanged layups. Collier then made a layup and jump shot. Peddy connected on a floating jump shot. Then Mitchell fouled Courtney Williams in the act of shooting a three-pointer. Williams made all three free throws and Minnesota now led 66-56 with 4:10 left in the third quarter. Lexie Hull was escorted by the training staff to the locker room but she would later return to the game.
Williams hit a three-pointer. On the next Lynx possession, she attempted another three-pointer but Kliundikova rebounded the missed shot and scored the put back layup. Peddy responded with a three-pointer of her own. Then Williams was driving for a layup and was sandwiched between Turner and Mitchell. No foul was called and the officials gave possession to the Fever. Minnesota called timeout and used a coach’s challenge, claiming the ball last touched Turner. It was a successful challenge and Minnesota was awarded the ball but was unable to score.
On the next Indiana possession, Boston was fouled by Lynx forward Jessica Shepard. The officials reviewed that play and upgraded the penalty to a Flagrant 1. Boston made both free throws and Minnesota led 71-61 with 2:43 left in the third quarter.
Carleton and Peddy exchanged three-pointers. Carrington hit a three-pointer and Boston answered with a layup with 10.2 second left. Minnesota led 77-66 at the end of the third quarter. Indiana’s shooting percentage was 49.0 percent through three quarters while Minnesota made 62.7 percent of their shots heading into the final frame.
The sense of urgency between both teams was there when the fourth quarter began. Neither team was willing to give an inch. Collier set the tone with a jump shot but Powers answered with a layup. Collier made two free throws after getting fouled by Turner. Howard made two free throws after getting fouled by Alanna Smith. Courtney Williams and Lexie Hull exchanged three pointers. Boston made a short jumper and Collier made two free throws after getting fouled by Peddy. Howard made a layup but then fouled Collier who converted only one of two free throws.
During a rebound, McBride was fouled by Hull, who had reached around McBride’s waist with her left hand. However, Hull was hit in the face by McBride’s right elbow as she was clearing out the rebound. During the review, the officials assessed Hull for the common foul and gave McBride a technical foul. Mitchell made the free shot for Indiana and McBride made her two free throws. Minnesota led 89-78 with 4:02 left in regulation.
Alanna Smith made two free throws after getting fouled by Peddy, and then scored a fast break layup. Peddy answered with a layup of her own. Collier made two free throws after getting fouled by Hull. Smith fouled Boston but she missed both free throws. Indiana called timeout with 1:49 left in the game and put the bench in. Minnesota led 95-80.
The Fever turned the ball over on a shot clock violation with 1:25 left on the clock, which gave the Lynx the chance to put their bench in. Forward Camryn Taylor, guard Jaylyn Sherrod and forward Anastasiia Olairi Kosu checked in and played the rest of the game, Taylor and Sherrod making their first appearance in front of the home crowd.
The first Lynx possession fizzled with a shot clock violation. Indiana forward Makayla Timpson made a layup. Carleton made a wide open jump shot for Minnesota. Turner’s layup with 9.4 seconds left was the last of the game. Minnesota won 97-84 when the final buzzer went off.
Minnesota went 36-for-63 (57.1 percent) from the field; 12-for-21 (57.1 percent) from three-point range; and 13-for-14 (92.9 percent) from the free throw line. They turned the ball over 15 times leading to 22 Fever points.
“Having [Collier] play obviously kind of makes it easier for everybody else. We kind of settled back into our roles in the things we like to do. It’s nice to have her back,” said Lynx head coach Cheryl Reeve.
Indiana went 31-for-65 (47.7 percent) from the field; 8-for-18 (44.4 percent) from three-point range; and 14-for-17 (82.4 percent) from the charity stripe. They committed 14 turnovers for 13 Lynx points.
“To me, it’s the end of the second and the beginning of the third [quarter]. It’s those runs right there,” said Fever head coach Stephanie White. “I think it’s just attention to detail in those moments. We had a high turnover rate in both games. They turned up their pressure. They got away from us a little bit.”
Indiana led 46-36 in the points-in-the paint category, 12-9 in fast break points, and 25-23 in bench scoring. Minnesota held the 14-12 edge in second chance points. There was one tie and three lead changes. The Fever’s largest lead was 10 points while the Lynx led by as much as 15 points.
“It all stemmed from being a little more active defensively and we weren’t taking the ball to the net every time. That’s how we got going in the second quarter,” said Reeve. “We got a little more active. A little more collective in our defensive effort. Then we had a little more flow and [Kliundikova] had her big minutes of helping us offensively.”
The Lynx were led by Napheesa Collier’s 32 points. She also led the team with nine rebounds. Courtney Williams added 14 points. Kayla McBride and Maria Kliundikova each chipped in 13 points. Williams led the team with 10 assists.
“I felt like I had to knock a little bit of the rust off,” said Collier. “More than anything, it just felt so good to be back with the team. It feels so good to be on the court with them again.”
Kelsey Mitchell led the Fever with 26 points. Shey Peddy added 16 points, Aliyah Boston pitched in 14 points and Natasha Howard was good for 10 points. Boston led the team with five assists while Howard led the team in rebounding with eight.
“Honestly, they’re going to be super aggressive, and so just making the right reads and just getting downhill and focusing on being aggressive,” said Boston when asked about what she needed to do in this game.
The Indiana Fever (19-18) hosts the Seattle Storm (20-18) at 6 p.m. CT on Tuesday at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. The Minnesota Lynx (30-7) host the Storm on Thursday at 7 p.m. CT at Target Center.
