Lynx 81, Wings 65: Brick Wall Defense Helps the Lynx Pull Away for Double-Digit Win

Napheesa Collier’s 28 points and the Lynx stifling defense leads to another win and keeps the Lynx undefeated

After an extended breather from a blowout against the Phoenix Mercury last Tuesday, the Lynx take their perfect record into Dallas for another WNBA Commissioner’s Cup matchup against the Wings. Paige Bueckers, Teaira McCowan, and Tyasha Harris will miss this matchup as the Minnesota Lynx looks to stay red hot and continue its undefeated start to the season. Napheesa Collier (fresh off her Player of the Month honors) vs. Arike Ogunbowale is the perfect way to stave off the Sunday Scaries and finish the weekend with some good hoops.

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The Lynx blitzed the Dallas Wings early as the defensive energy and pursuit were dialed up, which created an early lead. It forced them into bad turnovers and clanked jumpers off of every part of the rim en route to eight fast break points and 11 points off turnovers over the first 10 minutes. Kayla McBride turned some clean looks into three 3’s early on, including one that was an And-1 to get herself and her team going. K-Mac’s hot shooting poured in a team-leading 10 points as Minnesota burst out to a 24-14 lead at the end of the opening frame.

The Dallas Wings had a stronger start to the second quarter to trim the lead down to six, but the Lynx immediately responded with a 7-0 run during the middle part of the period to push their lead back to double digits. The Lynx lead reached as high as 17 points in the second, but Arike Ogunbowale was keeping the Wings in the game. She had 20 points in the first half and was the main reason this one didn’t get out of hand before the break. Kayla McBride and Napheesa Collier led the Lynx in scoring with 16 and 14, respectively. Their contributions, along with the pestering defense and offensive transition baskets, gave Minnesota the slight advantage, 46-39.

A choppy third quarter with a lot of whistles made it tough for either team to gain any traction, as the offense turned into a slog for both teams. Natisha Hiedeman started the second half in place of Courtney Williams in a change that Cheryl Reeve made coming out of halftime. The Lynx began on a 7-0 run and held the Wings scoreless for nearly four minutes to bring their lead back up into double digits. Dallas would not go away, though. They held the Lynx to four points in the last six minutes and change in the third quarter and only 11 points total in that frame. Dallas capitalized on the Minnesota mistakes to bring the game within one, 57-56, heading into the 4th.

Q4:

The Lynx came out to shut the door in the 4th quarter as Courtney Williams returned in this one. Collier scored a quick five points, and it was all Lynx after that point. They went on a 14-3 run and squeezed the Wings’ offense until it became stagnant. Bridget Carleton and Natisha Hiedeman broke the game wide open with back-to-back threes to give them a double-digit lead with a few minutes left on the clock. Defense was the name of the game as Collier’s 28 and McBride’s 21 kept the Lynx a perfect 9-0 and gave them the 81-65 victory.

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Key Takeaways

Photo by Ron Jenkins/Getty Images

High Intensity Defense

The defensive intensity for the Lynx was at an 11 from the second they stepped off the bus and walked into the arena. The pursuit and controlled desperation was a beauty to watch as Minnesota snuffed out so many opportunities where the Wings thought they had an advantage, if they could even get one in the first place. They held Dallas to 29% shooting, forced 17 turnovers and scored 24 points off those turnovers, and added 11 blocks to the impressive defensive stat line. Alanna Smith led the way with 4 blocks as Collier put up 3 herself. The defensive personnel can shut down opposing teams and make it so difficult to get into any kind of offensive rhythm.

Key Takeaway #2: Rallying Despite the Slog

There were times in the second half when the Lynx went through dry spells, and the offensive pace left them. Despite this, and Courtney Williams missing the entire third quarter, the Lynx were able to regain composure and put their foot down in the 4th quarter. Dallas pushed them hard, cutting it to one at the end of the third quarter, but the Lynx responded well with a 24-9 fourth quarter to win the game easily. This resolve and ability to respond quickly is the mark of a great team that is ready to do whatever it takes to win.

Key Takeaway #3: Kayla McBride Flamethrowing

Kayla McBride was on fire in the first quarter as she hit 3 threes. She continued this trend, and while she cooled off a bit in the second half, still contributed 21 points on 6/10 from beyond the arc. Having someone who can fill it up from distance the way she can is invaluable spacing, and her hot stretch helped to open things up for Napheesa Collier’s game closer to the basket. Can’t bring help if you have players like McBride to make you pay.

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Up Next

The Lynx will travel west to take on the Seattle Storm in a late-night, mid-week matchup as they continue Commissioner’s Cup play and chase after back-to-back wins in this in-season tournament.