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The Minnesota Lynx got back to .500 (5-5) and ended a four-game slide with their 92-83 victory over the New York Liberty. The Lynx outscored the Liberty 28-14 in the third quarter with their ability to generate more shots. Minnesota was 12-of-21 from the field while the Liberty were just 6-of-14.
The Lynx were quite good last night. As a team, Minnesota shot 51.6 percent from the field, and when you account for three-point shots, that mark rises to 57 percent. However, turnovers were still an issue for Lynx as they had 19.
Odyssey Sims got to the 20-point mark for the second time in three games with 20 points. She’s scored in double-figures in six straight games. Sylvia Fowles contributed her sixth double-double of the season with 19 points and 10 rebounds. She also set two season-highs with four blocks and three steals.
Rookie Napheesa Collier tied her career-high with three made three-point shots. Collier contributed 19 points, nine boards, and four steals. Collier’s resume early in the season is quite impressive, as the Lynx pointed out on Twitter:
Phee leads all rookies in:
— Minnesota Lynx (@minnesotalynx) June 23, 2019
- Points
- Steals
- 3-Pointers Made
... while being second in rebounds and blocks, and fourth in assists.
She good.
The Liberty has to be kicking itself after this one. New York not only had a one-point lead at the half, but was plus-five in scoring in the first, second, and fourth quarters. New York simply could not contain the aggressiveness of Minnesota. The free throw disparity tells the tale: New York shot 5-of-7 from the charity stripe while Minnesota shot 21-of-30. Such a disparity makes it hard to win.
Kia Nurse had 24 points and Tina Charles got in 22, but it was clearly the defense that let New York down against the Lynx. The Liberty is going the route of trying to simply outscore teams with just a few key stops, but it just has not been successful.
The Liberty has held one opponent under 70 points (these same Lynx), and eight of its opponents have scored over 80 points.
The Minnesota Lynx go on the road in their next game to face the Indiana Fever. For the Liberty, it returns home to face the Dallas Wings.