Napheesa Collier scored 19 points, grabbed eight rebounds, dished four assists and blocked four shots, and the Minnesota Lynx pulled away for a 91-68 win over the Chicago Sky on Tuesday night in Minneapolis.
Kayla McBride also scored 19 points for Minnesota (21-4), which won its third consecutive game. Bridget Carleton added 11 points.
Kia Nurse scored 16 points to lead Chicago (7-16), which dropped its third straight game. Angel Reese (11 points, 11 rebounds) and Kamilla Cardoso (10 points, 10 rebounds) each notched double-doubles.
The Sky played without key starter Ariel Atkins because of a leg injury.
Chicago started strong and led 24-18 at the end of the first quarter. Elizabeth Williams made a driving layup and Rachel Banham drained a 3-pointer to give the Sky a 24-17 advantage in the final minute of the stanza.
The Lynx stormed back by outscoring the Sky 29-14 in the second quarter to establish a 47-38 lead at the half.
Minnesota closed the second quarter with a 17-5 run in the final four-plus minutes. Alanna Smith started the outburst with a basket, and McBride followed with a 3-pointer to put the Lynx ahead 34-33 with 3:31 remaining in the first half.
McBride made another 3-pointer with 1:45 left, Smith made two free throws with 1:02 to go, and Collier added a layup to increase the Lynx’s lead to eight with 32.1 seconds left.
Minnesota increased its lead to 70-50 at the end of the third quarter, holding Chicago to a dozen third quarter points.
The only adversity for the Lynx in the fourth quarter came when guard Natisha Hiedeman injured her left ankle. She was ruled out for the rest of the game.
–Field Level Media
