Connecticut Sun forward Alyssa Thomas applies pressure to Minnesota Lynx guard Natisha Hiedeman during Tuesday’s WNBA Semifinal Game 5 at Target Center. Photo by Abe Booker III/Sportspage Magazine
MINNEAPOLIS – The Minnesota Lynx used a 23-5 first quarter run to find the separation necessary to withstand a late Connecticut Sun and win the decisive fifth game of the WNBA Semifinals 88-77 in front of an announced crowd of 8,769 at Target Center Tuesday night, and in doing so, they earned a trip to the WNBA Finals.
After tying up the best-of-five series at Mohegan Sun Arena on Sunday, Connecticut came out to a quick 7-2 run with a jump shots from center Brionna Jones and guard Tyasha Harris. Lynx guard Kayla McBride made a seven-foot floating jump shot, but the Lynx missed three of their first four shots.
Harris made a three-pointer, which was answered by a jump shot by Minnesota guard Courtney Williams. Jones scored a put back layup to put the Sun in front 9-4 with 7:24 left in the opening quarter.
Then came the run. It started with a three-point shot from Williams. Lynx forward Napheesa Collier was fouled by Harris and made two free throws. Center Alanna Smith was fouled by Connecticut forward Alyssa Thomas after a jump ball between Collier and Sun forward DeWanna Bonner. Smith made one of two free throws. Williams made an eight-foot shot off the glass. Smith made a three-pointer, and McBride added back-to-back three-pointers and a step back jump shot. The Sun mustered a jump shot from guard Marina Mabrey and a three-pointer by Mabrey in response, along with two turnovers, four missed shots and a defensive three seconds foul. It was 25-14 in favor of the Lynx with 2:42 remaining in the opening quarter. The teams traded baskets for the remainder of the quarter, which ended with Minnesota holding a 31-18 lead.
The Sun cut the deficit to nine points with baskets from Thomas and Jones, but the Lynx answered with a 14-2 run to give the home team a 20-point advantage. Minnesota guard Natisha Hiedeman scored five points, while Collier and McBride each scored four during that stretch. Minnesota led 44-24 with 3:18 left in the half.
Minnesota Lynx guard Courtney Williams makes a layup during Tuesday’s WNBA Semifinals Game 5 against the Connecticut Sun at Target Center. Williams scored 24 points and dished 7 assists in the effort. Photo by Abe Booker III/Sportspage Magazine
Connecticut was not going to give up without a fight. Bonner and Mabrey scored back-to-back three pointers, but Williams answered with a four-point play after scoring a three-pointer and getting fouled by Sun guard DiJonai Carrington. Collier scored a layup and a free throw after getting fouled by Thomas to push the Lynx lead back up to 21. Thomas and Harris each made two free throws after getting fouled, making the score 53-34 in favor of the Lynx at halftime.
Clearly the Sun would have to do something different in the second half if they were going to make a comeback of historic proportions.
It started with Carrington. The Sun had the possession to begin the third quarter. Thomas missed a driving layup but the Sun got the rebound. Carrington put up a jump shot that missed. She got her own rebound and was fouled by Smith when attempting the put back. Carrington made both free throws.
During the Lynx inbound pass, Carrington stole the pass from Williams and drove the length of the court for a fast break layup. She stole the next inbounds pass from Collier but Jones got called for a three-second violation on that possession. Bonner rebounded a McBride shot that was blocked by Jones, threw the outlet pass to Carrington, who was fouled by Williams while attempting a shot. The Sun guard made the first free throw and missed the second. She got her own rebound but missed the layup.
Collier and Carrington got tied up, forcing a jump ball. The Sun won the tip but Thomas’s driving layup was blocked by Smith. Williams missed a midrange jump shot, which was rebounded Bonner, who was fouled by the shooter. Bonner’s two free throws made the score 53-41 with 7:37 left in the third quarter, which forced the Lynx to call timeout to regroup.
The Lynx came out of the timeout determined to play tougher defense. Smith hit a three-pointer, Williams made a running layup, Collier made a fadeaway shot, a layup and a three-pointer, so the offense was able to bring the lead to 24 points, which would be their largest lead of the night. However, the defense forced the Sun to miss six shots, commit six turnovers including three steals, and blocked one shot. Collier was able to tie up Sun players twice for jump balls after Connecticut rebounds. Minnesota led 65-41 with 2:21 left in the third quarter after the 12-0 run.
Connecticut Sun guard DiJonai Carrington makes a layup during Tuesday’s WNBA Semifinals Game 5 at Target Center. Carrington’s 17 points and 12 rebounds kept the Sun competitive after a massive Lynx run in the first quarter. Photo by Abe Booker III/Sportspage Magazine
The Sun went back to what was working for them earlier in the quarter. Carrington continued to penetrate the lane for layup attempts, earning two trips to the free throw line after getting fouled by Collier and by forward Myisha Hines-Allen. Carrington made three of her four free throw attempts during the last 91 seconds of the third quarter to make the score 65-48 at the quarter break.
With ten minutes to go and behind by 17, the Sun had a lot of work cut out for them. The Lynx, too, had to work hard to protect that lead. If they let up on the gas, the Sun could shift the momentum into their favor. The quicker the Lynx could answer, the harder it would be for the Sun to get back into the game since they were now battling Minnesota and the clock. Every minute was crucial.
The Lynx began the fourth quarter with possession and almost immediately the whistle blew as Jones was called for a non-shooting foul. Hines-Allen made a seven-foot floater to push the Lynx lead back up to 19.
Jones made a layup. Collier answered with one of her own and was fouled by Carrington. After the free throw, the Lynx regained the 20 point lead.
Carrington made a layup and a free throw after getting fouled by Collier on the shot. Guard Veronica Burton stole a pass from Smith. Carrington missed the layup, Jones grabbed the rebound and made a put back layup of her own. The Connecticut deficit was now at 15 with 7:31 remaining on the clock.
Williams scored the next five points for the Lynx, which offset two free throws from Jones after she was fouled by Smith. Minnesota’s defense continued to be aggressive as they blocked three of the Sun’s next four shots. The last block was originally ruled a foul on Williams, but upon review for a coach’s challenge, it was ruled a block with no foul. Minnesota led 78-59 with 5:11 left in the final period.
Minnesota Lynx guard Natisha Hiedeman screams out of excitement after a play during Tuesday’s WNBA Semifinals Game 5 at Target Center. Hiedeman and the Lynx earned a trip to the WNBA Finals. Photo by Abe Booker III/Sportspage Magazine
Connecticut was forced to put up perimeter shots from three-point range to try to get back into the game. Bonner hit back-to-back three-pointers to cut the deficit to 16. After a layup from McBride, Burton hit a three-point turnaround shot to cut the deficit to 12 with just over three minutes remaining.
McBride hit a three-pointer to push the Lynx lead to 15. Carrington made another layup but did not get the “and one.” Hiedeman answered with a layup. Harris made a long two-pointer to make it a 13 point game with two minutes left.
Bonner fouled Collier, who made one of her two free throws. Bonner missed a three-pointer which Carrington rebounded. She was fouled by Williams. As Carrington stepped to the line, fans began chanting “Our house,” as the excitement built in anticipation of a long awaited trip to the WNBA Finals. The Sun guard made both free throws to make it an 86-74 Lynx lead with 1:32 remaining in the game.
Williams made two free throws after getting fouled by Carrington, and Harris made a three-pointer to make the score 88-77. Harris stole the inbounds pass from Collier, but then lost the ball out of bounds for the turnover. Both teams put their subs in for the last 54.2 seconds.
Minnesota went 34-for-69 (49.3 percent) from the field; 10-for-26 (38.5 percent) from three-point range; and 10-for-15 (66.7 percent) from the free throw line. They committed 13 turnovers leading to eight Connecticut points.
“I just overwhelmingly felt proud,” said Lynx head coach Cheryl Reeve. “Proud for how we played. We played Lynx basketball tonight and it was nice to get back to that.”
The Sun shot 24-for-65 (38.5 percent) from the field; 8-for-23 (34.8 percent) from three-point range; and 19-for-22 (86.4 percent) from the charity stripe. They committed 19 turnovers for 22 Lynx points.
“I’m proud of our team for continuing to fight, continuing to battle to try to position ourselves to come back in this ballgame. It’s a lot to overcome, a deficit like that in the first quarter” said Sun head coach Stephanie White. “We’re disappointed, certainly, but proud of what we’ve done as a team throughout the course of a year.”
Minnesota dominated the Sun in points-in-the-paint with a 40-26 advantage. The Sun had the 12-11 lead in second-chance points, while the teams tied 8-8 in fast break points. There were two ties and one lead change.
Minnesota Lynx guard Courtney Williams gets hugged at half court by forward Napheesa Collier following Tuesday’s WNBA Semifinals Game 5 at Target Center. The Lynx downed the Connecticut Sun 88-77 to earn a trip to the WNBA Finals. Photo by Abe Booker III/Sportspage Magazine
“I am just so happy to experience being in the Finals where, we’re happy to be in the Finals, but we are not going to be just happy to be there,” said Reeve.
The Lynx were led by 27 points from Napheesa Collier; Courtney Williams added 24 and Kayla McBride scored 19. Collier pulled down 11 rebounds and Williams dished seven assists in the effort.
“We want to keep playing because we want to stay together. You know that every year looks different. This team will never be the exact team again,” said Collier. “Not only do we want to win a championship but we don’t want to leave each other yet. That’s a great feeling. It is really gratifying to be here but we have a lot of work to do yet. I think we’re enjoying the ride.”
Connecticut was led by 17 points from DiJonai Carrington, all in the second half. Brionna Jones added 16; DeWanna Bonner pitched in for 14 and Tyasha Harris made 12. Carrington grabbed 12 rebounds and Alyssa Thomas led the Sun in assists with six.
“They just punched us in the mouth in the first quarter. When you get down like that against a team at home that’s playing really really well and try to make it to the Finals, it’s hard to dig yourself out of that hole,” said Bonner. “They just punched us in the face. We got shell shocked and then couldn’t fight back.”
With the win, the Lynx now hold the top spot in all-time playoff wins with 48, with all but one since 2011 with Reeve as the head coach (the lone win coming in 2003 against the L.A. Sparks with Susie McConnell-Serio at the helm). This game also marked the 180th time since that 2011 season when Minnesota has been able to hold their opponent below 40 percent shooting.
As the No. 2 seed in the WNBA playoffs, the Lynx now travel to Brooklyn to face the No. 1 seed New York Liberty at Barclays Center on Thursday at 8 p.m. ET/7 p.m. CT for Game 1 of the 2024 WNBA Finals. Minnesota leads the season series 3-1 including the Commissioner’s Cup game that was played back on June 25.
