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Napheesa Collier scored 22 points to lead the Minnesota Lynx past the Golden State Valkyries 82–71 on Saturday night, extending their record to 16–2 on the season. Collier pointed to the team’s defensive focus and composure during a key stretch as the turning point in the game.
“I think they were just getting really easy shots,” Collier said in a video of the postgame press conference posted on the Lynx's YouTube channel. “You know, they're open from three, they're open from in the paint getting offensive rebounds, cutting. So we really try to lock in on that. Get back to what our scheme was and teams are going to go on runs, but we have to stay kind of poised and in control and make sure that we get back to what our defense is.”
The Lynx fell behind briefly in the third quarter after a 10–0 Valkyries run capped by back-to-back Tiffany Hayes 3-pointers gave Golden State a 56–54 lead. But Minnesota responded with a 15–4 surge to close the quarter and entered the fourth with a 69–60 advantage.
Minnesota shot 53% from the field and had four players in double figures. Courtney Williams added 15 points, Kayla McBride had 12 and Jessica Shepard contributed across the board with eight points, 10 rebounds, five assists and no turnovers.
“Shepard’s effort was otherworldly,” said Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve, as reported by Kent Youngblood of the Minnesota Star Tribune.
Reeve also credited the team’s second-half response: “The players decided to play a little harder.”
The Lynx were without center Alanna Smith for most of the second half after she exited with a knee injury. Still, the team kept control, stretching its lead to 15 in the final minutes after a McBride 3-pointer.
Hayes led the Valkyries (9–8) with a season-high 23 points. Golden State will face Atlanta on Monday. The Lynx return home to host the Chicago Sky on Sunday at 6 p.m. CST.
Information from the Associated Press contributed to this article.
