Napheesa Collier collected 24 points and 11 rebounds to fuel the Minnesota Lynx to a 97-92 victory over the Washington Mystics on Wednesday in Minneapolis.
Collier added four steals before sustaining a right ankle injury early in the fourth quarter. She did not return to the contest.
Rookie Diamond Miller recorded 21 points and a season-high-tying nine assists and Kayla McBride added 15 points for the Lynx (11-13), who defeated the Mystics for the second time in as many meetings this season. Minnesota posted an 80-78 victory over Washington on June 3.
Natasha Cloud had 24 points and Brittney Sykes added 17 to go along with four steals for the short-handed Mystics (12-11), who have lost their past five road games.
Washington once again played without two-time WNBA MVP Elena Delle Donne (ankle), Ariel Atkins (ankle) and Shakira Austin (hip).
Rookie Li Meng made a 3-pointer to bring the Mystics within 91-90 with 2:38 remaining in the fourth quarter before Nikolina Milic made a pair of free throws on the ensuing possession. Milic sank a short hook shot in the paint and sent a nifty feed to a cutting Miller for an easy layup to push Minnesota’s lead to 97-90 with 47.1 seconds left.
Cloud made a layup just over four seconds later, but the Mystics could not draw any closer.
Queen Egbo made a layup to stake the Mystics to a 71-69 lead with 4:18 remaining in the third quarter before the Lynx countered with an 11-2 run that spanned into the fourth. Bridget Carleton sank a 3-pointer to cap the surge.
Washington erased a four-point deficit by erupting for 29 points in the second quarter to seize a 60-52 lead with 1:09 remaining. Minnesota responded with a late flourish, as Tiffany Mitchell made a mid-range jumper, Collier added a pair of free throws and Kayla McBride sank a shot at the buzzer to pull the club within two points at halftime.
–Field Level Media
