Tonight was a back-and-forth battle between the Minnesota Lynx and the tallest team in the WNBA, the Dallas Wings. The Lynx were able to come out on top, 87-76, in a hard-fought game that showcased their resilience and depth.
Napheesa Collier led the way for the Lynx tonight, ending with a stunning stat line. She officially surpassed Lynx legend Lindsay Whalen for sixth place in franchise steals, with a total of 266 steals. Dallas is a very aggressive team, and playing against them is always challenging especially in the paint. When asked about playing against Tierra McCowan and the Dallas team, Collier said, “She’s a big girl. They got more points in the paint than we wanted.” She added, “We knew rebounding was going to be a huge thing. They do really well on offensive putbacks, so defensive rebounding was huge. I just tried to do my part and be as disruptive as I could.” Collier did her part indeed tonight, getting 24 points, 14 rebounds, four assists, three steals and one block.
Another big baller tonight was Kayla McBride, known as “McBucket.” She finished the game with a game-high 25 points, shooting 5-of-9 from the three-point line. Additionally, she dished out four assists and snatched two steals. McBride’s performance was a big deal as she crossed 1,500 points and 250 assists with the Lynx, joining just nine others in franchise history to do so.
Leading the Lynx with energy and fast transitions was rookie Olivia Époupa, a French basketball player standing at 5-5, who is beginning to make her mark in the WNBA after a successful career overseas. Époupa had a powerful night. She grabbed a career-high four steals later in the second half, helping Minnesota score 14 points off turnovers in the fourth quarter alone. Head Coach Cheryl Reeve remarked, “She’s always going to play with that energy. It’s what she does, that’s why we brought her here.” Her defensive skills, creativity in assisting, and quick transitions helped the Lynx gain control and momentum in the second half.
Coach Reeve, during the post-game press conference, praised Époupa’s readiness and impact. “About five minutes to go in the game, I went over to O and said, ‘Way to be ready when your number was called.’ She’s been on our minds because we’ve been in situations like this before where we’ve felt like she’s one that can help us through it and today we actually pulled the trigger and did it, and obviously she was pretty impactful for us.”
The Lynx’s ability to lift each other up reflects a strong sisterhood. Collier praised Époupa, saying she “was the momentum change when she came in… and busted the game open for us.” She emphasized, “We just have such depth. If you take one person away, there’s someone right behind them to make up for that. Ollie came in and won us the game with her defense.” In response, Époupa said, “I would say this is teamwork.” She added humbly, “I’m not just a game changer, my teammates were there. We are just here for each other; we have really great chemistry.”
Reflecting on the season so far, Collier said, “It feels like we have played a bunch of different kinds of teams. Everyone looks really different, so it’s just fun to be able to adapt our defense in that way and get better every time we play.” She added, “We’re gonna get better as our chemistry grows and we get these goddamn turnovers down.”
The Lynx have shown that they are a strong team with a talented bench, which is crucial when starters have off days. They hold themselves accountable for their mistakes and always strive to improve with each game. Minnesota will face off against the Seattle Storm on Sunday, June 9th. The last time they met, the game went into double overtime. This upcoming game promises to be another exciting matchup, especially with Nika Múhl now available to play for Storm.
PHOTO BY JEFF WHEELER, STAR TRIBUNE
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