The Minnesota Lynx continued a major turnaround with an 88–77 win over the Connecticut Sun in the decisive Game 5 of the WNBA semifinals on Oct. 8 in Minneapolis.
Minnesota finished below .500 the past two years but became the Western Conference’s top team this year with a 30–10 record and No. 2 seed in the playoffs. The Lynx made the most of their home-court advantage at a packed Target Center against the Sun by storming out to a double-digit lead, which propelled the team to the WNBA Finals for the first time since 2017.
Shooting guard Kayla McBride had the Lynx flirting with a double-digit lead on a pair of three-pointers to make it 25–14. Lynx forward Napeesha Collier added to the lead with a three and a field goal for a 31–18 lead by the end of the first quarter.
“They just kind of punched us in the face, and we got shellshocked, and then we couldn’t fight back,” Sun forward DeWanna Bonner told reporters afterward.
Minnesota continued to hold the Sun under 20 points per quarter in the second and third quarters. Williams pushed the lead to around 20 with a three and basket down the stretch before halftime at 53–34.
The Lynx didn’t pile on the offense in the third quarter but held the Sun to 14 points in the quarter. It didn’t stay that way in the fourth quarter as Connecticut tried to rally with a 29-point quarter, but the Lynx never let the lead get below double figures.
Minnesota held Connecticut to 38.5 percent shooting, which included 34.8 percent from three-point range. Bonner had points, and Sun guard DiJonai Carrington led the team in scoring with 17 points.
“We played Lynx basketball tonight, and it was nice to get back to that,” Lynx head coach Cheryl Reeve said. “I [expletive] near[ly] guaranteed you that we would play the defense that we played.”
Collier led the way for the Lynx with a game-high 27 points on 10–16 shooting, and she had a double-double with 11 rebounds. She also had four blocked shots, a steal, and four assists.
“She’s improved every season. She’s just been incredible. Every game, it’s more than scoring how she helps our team,” Reeve said. “When she plays like the MVP, we’re tough to beat.”
Williams scored 24 points on 9–16 shooting and had a game-high seven assists. McBride finished with 19 points on 8–16 shooting and four assists.
Minnesota will face the New York Liberty in the finals. The Lynx have four WNBA titles from the 2010s, while the Liberty have never won a title in five previous appearances.
“We wanna keep playing because we want to stay together … not only do we want to win a championship, but we don’t want to leave each other yet,” Collier said.
Connecticut ended an otherwise successful season, taking second place in the Eastern Conference with a 28–12 record. However, the Sun ended an all-too-familiar way with a fourth semifinal loss in the past five years.
Williams, who played for the Sun in 2022, played in the WNBA Finals that year before a one-year stint with the Chicago Sky. She joined the Lynx this year on a two-year deal.
Amid Williams’s excitement over the finals, Reeve interjected with the mention of the veteran’s last appearance.
“Yeah, but I didn’t win it, so I’m trying [to] win it, so let’s go get us one,” Williams said.
