Natasha Howard and Olivia Miles each scored 21 points as the Minnesota Lynx pulled out a 78-76 win over the host Washington Mystics on Wednesday.
Howard also collected a season-high 15 rebounds for her fourth double-double of the campaign. Miles added five assists and four rebounds for the Lynx (14-4), who won for the fourth time in five games. Kayla McBride added 19 points and swished five 3-pointers.
The Mystics (8-8) had their three-game winning streak end. Sonia Citron powered Washington with 28 points and also connected on her 100th career 3-pointer in her second season. Shakira Austin had 11 points and 16 boards, and Kiki Iriafen chipped in 13 points and 11 rebounds.
The Lynx trailed by 12 points with less than eight minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, then closed the game on a 25-11 run, largely powered by Miles.
The rookie out of Notre Dame had 10 points and three assists during that game-winning scoring surge for Minnesota. She sealed the win when she hit a step-back 3-pointer over the outstretched hand of Citron — her former college teammate — with 1:07 remaining to put her team up 78-74.
Austin knocked down a free throw to cut the deficit to three points, but game-tying shot attempts by Citron and Austin missed the mark in the waning moments of the game. Washington’s Angela Dugalic hit one more free throw before the final buzzer sounded after she was fouled by Nia Coffey with 0.3 seconds left.
Minnesota won despite getting outrebounded 40-37, attempting and making fewer free throws and getting outshot from the floor 42.6% to 38%.
The Lynx, who are 8-1 on the road, retained their spot atop the league standings.
A packed-in crowd was in attendance to see the Lynx and the Mystics clash. Among the fans was former NBA All-Star John Wall and the Washington Wizards’ No. 1 overall draft pick, AJ Dybantsa.
–Field Level Media
