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Lynx stave off WNBA playoff elimination, beat Sun to force decisive Game 3 at Target Center – St. Paul Pioneer Press
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Backs against the wall, season on the line, the Lynx did what they’ve done all summer. Minnesota threw a massive haymaker Sunday in Connecticut, downing the third-seeded Sun 82-75 in Game 2 of their first-round playoff series to force a win-or-go-home Game 3 on Wednesday in Minneapolis to decide the series outcome.
The Lynx’s two established pillars delivered the goods, with Napheesa Collier rebounding from an underwhelming series opener to deliver 26 points, 13 rebounds, two steals and one blocked shot.
“Just the mentality throughout the whole game I want to leave it all out there and do everything I can on the court,” Collier said. “It’s such a special group of women that I’m playing with this year, so I want to give it my all, because I expect the same from them, and I think that’s why we have such a great team.”
Kayla McBride provided all the support Collier could ask for from a sidekick, pacing the Lynx with 28 points on the strength of six three-point shots. The guard also added eight rebounds on a day in which she didn’t leave the floor.
“When they play like this, we’re hard to beat,” Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve said. “I’ll take these two any day of the week.”
As a whole, the Lynx did everything required to win a road playoff game against a top-tier opponent. They turned the ball over just seven times and held the Sun to 44 percent shooting, while outrebounding Connecticut 35-30.
The Sun scored just 32 points in the paint. The Lynx had 15 second-chance points to Connecticut’s five. Twenty-two of Minnesota’s 33 made field goals were assisted. The defensive end, Reeve noted, was the catalyst for Minnesota. The Lynx struggled mightily on that end over their last three games — all losses. But they tightened the screws on Sunday.
It was a great performance when greatness was required to stave off elimination.
The Lynx led for essentially the entire game, building a 16-point lead in the third quarter. When Connecticut made its expected push in the final period to trim the Lynx lead to two, Minnesota responded. It did so, frankly, with grit. The Lynx made just 7 of 17 shots from the field in the fourth quarter, but outrebounded Connecticut 14-6 over the final 10 minutes, as the Lynx grabbed four offensive rebounds.
“In those moments, I think we just needed to pick up our aggression, and kind of throw caution to the wind, as Coach would say, and just give everything we have,” McBride said. “We knew they were going to make their runs, make their shots, get the crowd going, but we had to continue to answer, and we’ve been doing that all season. We know we’ve been in adverse situations all season, and we’ve continued to respond. Today was just another example of that.
“Now we get to go back to Minny and do it again.”
A similar effort will be required in Game 3 to advance. Connecticut won 27 games during the regular season for a reason. The Sun will not be an easy out. But Minnesota now returns home to play the biggest game of the season in front of its home fans. That’s a massive advantage for the Lynx.
“It feels awesome. We have such a great fanbase, too, in Minnesota. We know the house is gonna be packed, it’s gonna be loud. So we’re really excited,” Collier said. “If we play like this again, we’re so hard to beat. And it’s fun to play that way. So I can’t wait for the next game. … We’re ready to go out there and leave it all on the court again.”
“We’re 40 minutes from the semifinals in the playoffs,” Reeve said. “What else can you ask for?”
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