MINNEAPOLIS – The Minnesota Lynx have now played their 11th game in the past 20 days and have found themselves in a rhythm that is hard to stop. The Phoenix Mercury found out just hard that is when they came to Target Center Wednesday afternoon and found themselves on the losing end of a 79-66 game in front of a 16,421-strong “Camp Day” crowd. It didn’t help the Mercury’s cause that the game tip off was at noon CT, which would have been 10 a.m. in Phoenix. Yet it was five Lynx three-pointers in the third quarter that made the biggest difference.
Lynx guard Kayla McBride opened the scoring with a jump shot to give the home team the early lead. Phoenix guard Sami Whitcomb’s three-pointer gave the visitor’s the lead and a layup from guard DaWanna Bonner’s layup made it 5-2 with 8:24 left in the first quarter.
Minnesota forward Napheesa Collier answered with a layup, and then Minnesota re-took the lead with a three-pointer from McBride. However, Mercury forward Alyssa Thomas was fouled by Collier. Thomas’s two free throws tied the game 7-7 with 6:56 remaining in the opening quarter. It was the game’s only tie.
For the next seven minutes, it was Minnesota’s game. Other than three free throws made by Whitcomb, the Mercury couldn’t execute. They committed turnovers. They missed shots. They fouled. Minnesota took advantage of their miscues.
Lynx forward Alanna Smith scored a layup and was fouled by Mercury guard Kiana Williams. Smith missed the free throw. Then Minnesota forward Jessica Shepard scored on a layup. After the official’s timeout, Lynx forwards Diamond Miller and Maria Kliundikova made layups while forward Bridget Carleton made two free throws. Kliundikova blocked a shot by Mercury forward Kathryn Westbeld. Shepard made two jump shots. When the quarter ended, Minnesota finished on a 14-3 run and led 21-10. The Mercury had only made two field goals in the quarter for 14.3 percent and turned the ball over five times.
The second quarter started off better for the Mercury as center Kalani Brown made a basket and a free throw after getting fouled by Lynx guard Natisha Hiedeman. Kiana Williams followed this up with a layup, but Minnesota answered with a midrange jump shot by Courtney Williams.
Minnesota called timeout with 6:44 left until halftime and a 23-15 lead to regroup and get the starters back into the game. When play resumed, Whitcomb hit a three-pointer and the formerly 11-point lead was now whittled to five.
Mercury guard Kitija Laksa made a layup and was fouled by Smith but missed the free throw. Courtney Williams then hit a three-pointer to extend the Lynx lead to eight. Phoenix center Natasha Mack connected on a hook shot which was answered by a three-pointer from McBride. Mercury forward Alyssa Thomas made a jump shot and was fouled by Collier but missed the free throw. Courtney Williams responded with a jump shot in return. Brown then made two free throws after getting fouled by Shepard. Minnesota led 33-26 with 2:53 left until halftime when Phoenix called timeout.
After a Hiedeman layup extended the Lynx lead back to nine points, Phoenix went on a 7-0 run with a jump shot from Thomas, and a three-pointer and layup from Bonner to make it a two-point game. However, Brown sent McBride to the free throw line with 33.4 seconds left. Both free throws were good and Minnesota led 37-33 at the half.
The teams traded baskets at the beginning of the third quarter. Smith opened the second half with a three-pointer. Mack’s short jumper cut it back to five but Whitcomb fouled McBride in the process of shooting a three-pointer. McBride made all three free throws and Minnesota now led by eight.
Phoenix went on a 6-1 run over the next minute as Thomas hit a jump shot and Bonner made two baskets. Whitcomb fouled Collier who only converted one of two free throws. Minnesota led 44-41 with 8:01 left in the third quarter.
Once again, Minnesota pushed a deep run that lasted the rest of the quarter. Collier made two layups and Phoenix called timeout with Minnesota leading 48-41 with 5:46 left in the quarter. The Lynx made four three-pointers, two by Alanna Smith, with Carleton and Collier making the others. Kiana Williams made two three-pointers for Phoenix. Thomas made a jump shot for the Mercury and Shepard made a put back at the buzzer on a Hiedeman miss. Minnesota took a 20-8 run to a 64-49 lead after three quarters.
Kalani Brown scored back-to-back baskets to begin the fourth quarter scoring to try to rally the Mercury. However, Thomas was called for an away from the play foul on the inbounds which gave the Lynx a free throw and possession. McBride made the free throw and Hiedeman made a jump shot. It was 67-53 in favor of Minnesota with 7:43 left in the game.
Thomas and Brown each scored for Phoenix but Minnesota got responses in the form of three-pointers from Kliundikova and Courtney Williams to extend the Lynx lead to 73-57 when the officials called timeout with 5:48 left on the clock.
When play resumed, Mack tipped in a missed shot by Kiana Williams and Laksa made a three-pointer. Courtney Williams made two free throws after Laksa picked up her fifth foul.
Westbeld’s three-pointer cut the Phoenix deficit to ten, giving the Mercury some hope with two minutes left to play. However, Kliundikova made an open layup with 1:54 left to push the Minnesota lead back up to a dozen which forced the Mercury to call timeout.
Kiana Williams was fouled by Kliundikova, but only made one of two free throws, and Lynx forward Anastasiia Olairi Kosu came off the bench to score the game’s final basket. Minnesota came out on top 79-66 when the final buzzer sounded.
Minnesota went 29-for-68 (42.6 percent) from the field; 10-for-23 (43.5 percent) from three-point range; and 11-for-14 (78.6 percent) from the free throw line. They turned the ball over 15 times leading to 21 Mercury points.
“It’s okay for our players to say how tired they were going into today. I knew. We didn’t want to talk about it but I knew how they were feeling,” said Lynx head coach Cheryl Reeve. “Eleven games in 20 days. We knew we needed the collective. I just thought our group was ready to do that.”
Phoenix went 25-for-70 (35.7 percent) from the field; 7-for-26 (26.9 percent) from three-point range; and 9-for-15 (60.0 percent) from the charity stripe. They turned the ball over 12 times leading to seven Lynx points.
“They got some open three’s [in the third quarter], I don’t know if they made four, five or six, but they got some open ones. Obviously in the second quarter we did a good job in taking those away. But this is a team that can get hot. They made a bit of a run in the third quarter with their three-point shooting,” said Mercury head coach Nate Tibbetts. “This was a quick turnaround to go from West Coast to central time zone, playing an early game. I was proud of our fight, proud of our group. I’ve been proud of them all year. They just continue to stay with it.”
Minnesota led 34-30 in points-in-the-paint, but Phoenix edged the Lynx 14-6 in second chance points, 13-12 in fast break points, and 25-23 in bench scoring. There was one tie and two lead changes. Phoenix’s largest lead was three points while Minnesota led by as many as 16 points.
“I think our bench is growing overall. We’re getting a little more consistency in how we’re using them, when they’re going to be on the floor, what they’re doing when they’re on the floor. It bodes well for our team. We needed a team win today and we got it,” said Reeve.
The Lynx were led by 18 points from Kayla McBride. Courtney Williams added 12 points, Alanna Smith pitched in 11 points, and Napheesa Collier chipped in 10 points. Jessica Shepard led the Lynx in rebounding with eight boards. McBride, Williams and Bridget Carleton each paced Minnesota with five assists each.
“Our bench is a close knit group and we all stick together. We know we are going to rely on each other for however long we’re going to be out there. We just built a trust with each other and coach is growing in her trust in us,” said Shepard. “The one thing we want to do every time we come out there is bring energy. The starting group has to play a lot of minutes and they can get tired, so we want to make sure that we can change the pace when we’re in the game. I think today we did a great job in doing that.”
The Mercury were led by 12 points from Alyssa Thomas, and 11 points each from DeWanna Bonner and Kalani Brown. Natasha Mack pulled down 13 rebounds to lead Phoenix and Thomas led her team with nine assists. Brown also pulled down 11 rebounds to earn her first double-double since the 2023 season.
“I love the energy she [Brown] brought today. Whether we win or lose, obviously we lost today but that’s okay, she did what she had to do. That made me extremely happy to get a double-double,” said Mack.
The WNBA will now break for the All-Star Game in Indianapolis. Minnesota (20-4) will host the Chicago Sky (7-15) on Tuesday, July 22 at 7 p.m. CT. Phoenix (15-7) will host the Atlanta Dream (13-9) at 9 p.m. the next day.
