Following the Minnesota Lynx’s game against the Las Vegas Aces on Saturday, the one thing on everyone’s minds was the injury sustained by Napheesa Collier late in the third quarter. And rightfully so, Collier is the Lynx’s best player and MVP candidate. But the Lynx managed to set a WNBA record with their road win against the Aces.
With their 53-point margin of victory, the Lynx set a league record for the largest margin of victory in a road win during their game against the Aces, as per Ben Pickman of The Athletic. The Lynx were up by 18 points by the end of the first quarter, 35-17. That margin increased to 34 points, 67-33, by halftime. And then by the end of the third quarter, the Lynx had pushed the lead to 43 points, 92-49, before ultimately winning by 53 points.
During the first half of the game, Lynx guard Kayla McBride tied a WNBA record with eight made three-point shots in a single half. All eight of McBride’s made shots were three-pointers, with only one shot attempt coming from two-point range. She finished with a game-high 24 points.
The Lynx had four players score in double figures with McBride’s 24, Collier’s 18 points, Jessica Shepard’s 18 points and Natisha Hiedeman’s 17 points. The Lynx shot 59.2 percent from the field, 63 percent from the three-point line and 71.4 percent from the free-throw line.
Meanwhile, the Lynx defense held the Aces to only 34.3 percent shooting from the field and 30.8 percent shooting from the three-point line. The Aces managed only nine points in the entire fourth quarter.
With the win, the Lynx improved to 24-5 and currently hold the league’s best record and the No. 1 overall seed. The Aces fell to 14-14 and slipped a half game behind the Golden State Valkyries for the seventh seed.
The Lynx came into this season on a mission to win the franchise’s fifth WNBA championship. Last season, the team reached the WNBA Finals for the first time since 2017. They pushed the New York Liberty to a deciding Game 5 before being eliminated. When it comes to active franchises, the Lynx are tied with the Seattle Storm for most WNBA championships at four.
