Minnesota Lynx guard Courtney Williams blocks a shot by Seattle Storm guard Skylar Diggins during Tuesday’s game at Target Center. Photo by Abe Booker III/Sportspage Magazine
MINNEAPOLIS – The Minnesota Lynx withstood a late charge by the visiting Seattle Storm, pulling out an 82-77 victory in front of 7,808 gathered at Target Center Tuesday night.
Seattle pulled out a quick 2-0 lead on a layup from guard Skylar Diggins, which was immediately negated by a layup from Lynx forward Alanna Smith for the game’s only tie. The opening basket would be the only time the Storm led in the game as there was only one tie and one lead change.
A put back layup by Lynx guard Courtney Williams put the home team in front 4-2, and served as the game’s lone lead change. Minnesota then went on a 14-0 run with two layups from Smith, two baskets from Williams, and two three-pointers from Lynx guard Kayla McBride, who is seeing her first action of the season after an extended absence. The Lynx led 14-2 with 6:49 remaining in the opening frame.
The Storm began clawing back from the 12-point deficit. Center Ezi Magbegor broke the Lynx run with a short jumper, which was followed by a tip layup from forward Nneka Ogwumike. Forward Gabby Williams added a three-pointer and forward Alysha Clark added a layup to keep the scoring alive for Seattle.
However, Minnesota managed to stay just out of reach with a jump shot and put back layup from forward Napheesa Collier and another layup from Smith. Courtney Williams hit a short jumper that beat the shot clock, and guard Karlie Samuelson hit a corner three-pointer with 16.6 seconds left and was fouled by center Dominique Malonga. Samuelson made the free throw to complete the four-point play, which left the Lynx on top 26-11 at the end of the first quarter.
Minnesota Lynx forward Napheesa Collier grabs out rebounds teammate Alanna Smith and Seattle Storm guard Skylar Diggins during Tuesday’s game at Target Center. Photo by Abe Booker III/Sportspage Magazine
Both teams went to their bench at the end of the first quarter and kept their bench players on the court for the first few minutes of the second quarter. Seattle’s bench made the most of the opportunity when the second quarter began. Guard Erica Wheeler scored a three-pointer and center Li Yueru made two free throws after getting fouled by Smith. It was now 26-16 with 7:49 left in the half.
Lynx guard Natisha Heideman made two free throws after getting fouled by Wheeler, then Gabby Williams made a layup to keep the deficit at 10 points. Minnesota’s starters returned to the game. After the substitution was made, the Seattle starters left the bench and took their place by the scorer’s table. It would be nearly two minutes before they would get back into the game.
Minnesota took advantage of the mismatch to take an 8-3 run with a jump shot from forward Bridget Carleton, a layup from Smith, and two shots from Courtney Williams. A three-pointer from Gabby Williams served as the lone basket for Seattle. It was 36-21 in favor of the Lynx with 3:06 left until halftime.
Seattle went on their end of the half run with a three-pointer from Diggins, and then made one of two free throws after she stole the ball from Courtney Williams, who then fouled her. Gabby Williams made a layup to cut the deficit to single digits, followed by one from Magbegor. Yet Alanna Smith’s buzzer beating three-pointer with 59.4 seconds left was the last score of the quarter, making it a 39-29 Lynx lead at halftime.
Seattle mounted a comeback in the third quarter. Diggins hit a jump shot, followed by a layup from Gabby Williams to cut the deficit to six points. Collier made a turnaround jump shot and Smith made a layup a short time later to get the lead back to ten.
Both teams settled for shots from the perimeter for the next few minutes of play. Other than a quick layup to Clark, both teams missed several shots and turned the ball over a couple of times. McBride hit a three-pointer with 5:51 left in the third quarter to give the Lynx the 46-35 lead before the game got back on track with scoring.
Seattle then went on a 12-2 run with scoring from Clark, Ogwumike, Diggins, Magbegor and Gabby Williams. Magbegor’s layup with 2:37 left in the third quarter made it a one point game as the Lynx led 48-47. The Storm had battled back from a 15-point deficit.
Both teams were more strategic in their shot selection and deliberate in their play. Minnesota forward Jessica Shepard made a layup, but was also called for a defensive three seconds call a few moments later. Ogwumike missed the free throw. Collier attempted a midrange jumper, rebounded her own miss and then tipped it in for a put back layup. Ogwumike made a basket. Courtney Williams made two free throws after getting fouled by guard Zia Cooke. Wheeler made the quarter’s final score, a jump shot. Minnesota led 54-51 with one quarter left to go.
When the fourth quarter began, Malonga’s layup cut Seattle’s deficit to one point.
Minnesota answered with layups from Collier and Shepard, giving the home team some breathing room. No matter what Seattle did, Minnesota answered. Then, when Minnesota went on a small run, Seattle responded with one of their own. Baskets and runs were both traded.
The Lynx led 70-64 after Smith made a three-pointer with 4:10 left on the clock. It was answered by a three-pointer from Diggins 25 seconds later. Collier made a jump shot. Diggins made two free throws after getting fouled.
Seattle Storm forward Nneka Ogwumike prepares to shoot a layup during Tuesday’s game against the Minnesota Lynx at Target Center. Photo by Abe Booker III/Sportspage Magazine
Courtney Williams made two jump shots to give the Lynx a seven-point lead with 2:16 left on the clock. Ogwumike responded with a jump shot to cut the deficit to five, then a Diggins layup with 27.5 seconds left cut it to three. Minnesota led 76-73.
McBride got trapped on the sideline by Clark. Lynx fans and coaches wanted Clark to be called for a foul, but the officials called for a jump ball instead. On the jump ball, Clark used her right hand to tap the ball into the back court and her left hand hit McBride in the head. The officials assessed Clark with a foul. The Storm challenged the call but the call stood.
McBride was then fouled by Magbegor. The Lynx guard made both free throws to make the score 78-73.
Diggins made one of two free shots after getting fouled by Courtney Williams with 18.0 seconds remaining. After the reset timeout by Minnesota, McBride was fouled by Diggins after receiving the inbounds pass. Both free throws were good and Minnesota led by six points again.
If you think the game was over with a six point deficit and less than 20 seconds remaining, you’d be mistaken. Wheeler hit a three-pointer with 11.5 seconds on the clock to make the score 80-77. Collier was fouled by Magbegor on the inbounds pass. After converting both free throws, it was now a five point game again.
The Seattle comeback fell short with just 4.3 seconds left to go. Courtney Williams stole a Diggins pass and then ran out the clock to secure the 82-77 victory.
Minnesota went 32-for-68 (47.1 percent) from the field; 7-for-19 (36.8 percent) from three-point range; and 11-for-12 (91.7 percent) from the free throw line. They gave up 12 turnovers which led to 13 Storm points.
“I thought Seattle was playing well. They were having their way with us in the paint. The coverage just went out the window and they were getting anything they wanted,” said Lynx head coach Cheryl Reeve. “Then when we got into our timeouts, they were good problem solvers together. But ultimately it was our offense being able to go toe-to-toe. The Courtney-Phee [Williams-Collier] two-man game is what led to our ability to close the game out.”
Seattle went 29-for-67 (43.3 percent) from the field; 6-for-24 (25.0 percent) from three-point range; and 13-for-18 (72.2 percent) from the free throw line. They turned the ball over 14 times which led to 23 Lynx points.
“I thought we had great contributions from our bench. I thought the fight back started with just chipping away possession by possession,” said Storm head coach Noelle Quinn. “There are things that we did do well in this game that we can definitely built upon. Being on the road and playing a tough team like Minnesota, the margin is very slim but the positives are to be able to show resiliency and tighten up our defense.”
Minnesota Lynx forward Diamond Miller and Seattle Storm center Li Yueru battle for a loose ball during Tuesday’s game at Target Center. Photo by Abe Booker III/Sportspage Magazine
Seattle held a 38-36 advantage in points-in-the-paint and a 16-10 led in bench scoring while Minnesota led 19-11 in fast break points and 12-11 in second chance points. There was one tie and one lead change. Seattle’s largest lead was two points while 15 points was the largest lead for Minnesota.
“[Our bench] is just getting started. Now we’re getting them back in their spots. I didn’t think their minutes were great today. They’re really good at moving the basketball. Jess Shepard is a terrific facilitator. That group didn’t necessarily get that space, but it’s a group that is going to play well together and be able to play off each other. I’m looking forward to seeing them out there more,” said Reeve.
The Lynx were led by 23 points from Courtney Williams, Alanna Smith provided 16 points and Kayla McBride chipped in for 15 points. Napheesa Collier added 16 points but also led the team with 10 rebounds and five assists. Collier also recorded five steals in the first quarter, a career high for steals in a single quarter, which ties the high for most steals in any quarter by any WNBA player. She also blocked two shots in that quarter, making her the first player to ever record five steals and two blocks in a single quarter of play.
“It’s tough coming back from a big deficit when you go [down] in the first quarter. I think that first quarter was our safety blanket because they fought really hard in the following quarters. I think that really strong start helped us a lot,” said Alanna Smith. “And in that fourth quarter, it was a battle and Courtney [Williams] hit some tough shots. When you start off strong, it really really helps.”
Minnesota Lynx guard Kayla McBride made her first appearance of the season Tuesday night after an extended absence. Photo by Abe Booker III/Sportspage Magazine
The Storm was led by 20 points from Gabby Williams, who also led the team with six assists. Skylar Diggins added 18 points, Nneka Ogwumike pitched in for 11 points, and Erica Wheeler was also good for 10 points. Ezi Magbegor pulled down a team high 10 rebounds.
“I think we were a bit stiff and a bit robotic. They’re a great well-coached team. They’re all intelligent players, so I think they were taking away some of our first options,” said Gabby Williams. “I feel that we find a way to stay together in these tougher situations. I think we don’t panic as much. We don’t lose our focus or tempers as much in these moments. We’re attacking these moments with a lot more maturity with a better zen and calmness to us.”
Minnesota (5-0) travels to Phoenix to take on the Mercury. The Seattle Storm (3-2) host the Atlanta Dream. Both games will tip off at 9 p.m. CT on Friday night.
