Lynx, challenged by Valkyries, push back for victory

Kent Youngblood, The Minnesota Star Tribune on Jul 5, 2025

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MINNEAPOLIS — Just under five minutes remained in the third quarter. The Lynx, who had led by as many as 10, had fallen behind by two points to a Golden State team that seemed unable to miss.

It was at that point, apparently, when the Lynx decided enough was enough.

Over the course of the next nine minutes the Lynx outscored the Valkyries by 14 points on the way to an 82-71 victory Saturday at Target Center.

It was an amazing reversal of momentum in a game that had a few of them.

The biggest: Golden State made 8 of 10 shots and all three 3-pointers it tried while taking a two-point lead with 4 1/2 minutes left in the third quarter.

Then it was all Lynx. Napheesa Collier scored 14 of her 22 points in that 21-4 run that put the Lynx — who started the fourth quarter with a 6-0 burst — up 15 on Bridget Carleton’s corner 3 with 5:52 left in the game.

Collier made eight of 11 shots and her only 3-pointer and was 5 for 5 from the free-throw line, pushing her stretch of consecutive free throws made to 38. Courtney Williams scored 15, Kayla McBride 10. Center Alanna Smith had five points, six assists, five rebounds and two blocks when she left the game with 7:54 left in the third because of a right knee injury.

The Lynx (16-2), who won their fourth straight game, had a 21-12 edge on bench points and a 19-5 edge on points off turnovers. Minnesota had eight players score at least five points and had assists on 25 of 29 made field goals.

Tiffany Hayes led Golden State (9-8) with 23 points.

The Valkyries opened the first quarter on an 8-2 run. But by the time Diamond Miller hit a buzzer-beating 3 at the end of the quarter, the Lynx led 25-18 and eight Minnesota players had scored at least two points, but none more than five. Minnesota had assists on eight of nine made baskets.

The Lynx pushed their lead to 10 points three times in the second quarter, the last time on Collier’s 3-pointer with 2:48 left.

But Minnesota didn’t score again in the quarter. Instead the Valkyries finished the half on a 5-0 run to make it 41-36 at the half.

The Lynx still led by five midway through the third quarter. But their struggles on the defensive end started costing them. The Valkyries went on a 7-0 run to take a 56-54 lead with 4:32 left in the third, having made eight of 10 shots in the quarter, including all four 3-point attempts.

Then the Lynx reasserted themselves on defense.

Collier scored seven points in a 15-4 Lynx run to end the quarter — capped by another 3 by Miller — that put Minnesota up nine entering the fourth. The Valkyries went 1 for 9 and missed all three 3s they shot in that stretch. Collier had seven points and Williams eight in the quarter.