Olivia Miles scored a game-high 24 points and added seven assists Friday night as the visiting Minnesota Lynx topped the Washington Mystics 94-84 for their sixth win in a row.
The star rookie, who left late in the Lynx’s 77-66 win at Golden State on Wednesday due to a left ankle injury, shot 10 of 22 from the field. With 2:21 left, she delivered a driving layup off a Washington turnover for an 86-80 lead.
Kayla McBride, who added 18 points, drained a 3-pointer on the next possession for a nine-point margin with 1:44 remaining.
Natasha Howard contributed 21 points, seven rebounds and five assists for Minnesota (31-7), who have won 16 of their past 17 games. Courtney Williams chipped in 13 points and eight assists.
All five starters scored double figures for the Mystics (21-15), led by Kiki Iriafen with 19 points and 13 rebounds, her 16th double-double of the year. Shakira Austin added 17 points, eight boards and six assists, while Michaela Onyenwere put up 14 points. Sonia Citron tallied 11, and Georgia Amoore managed 10 as Washington’s two-game winning streak ended.
The Lynx canned 37 of 70 shots from the field (52.9%) and were 11 of 27 (40.7%) from 3-point range, enough to offset getting pounded 36-26 on the boards.
The pregame storyline changed earlier Friday when Minnesota announced that Napheesa Collier would sit out the game for rest. Collier, who missed the season’s first 27 games after two ankle surgeries, has averaged 19 points per game since returning on July 22.
Washington was able to keep pace with the high-scoring Lynx during a well-played first quarter, taking a 26-25 lead on a 3-pointer by Cotie McMahon with 14.7 seconds left. The Mystics made 11 of 19 shots from the field to offset four turnovers.
The Lynx took the lead in the second quarter behind Howard’s 11 points. Minnesota owned a 10-point advantage late in the half and settled for a 49-42 cushion at the break.
The Mystics pulled within 64-63 on an Austin layup with 2:49 left in the third quarter. However, Minnesota got a 3-pointer and two foul shots from Williams in the last 1:15 of the period to take a 75-67 edge into the final period.
–Field Level Media
