Time to start a new winning streak.
After losing their first game of the season against the Seattle Storm on Wednesday, dropping their record to 9-1, the Minnesota Lynx took on the Los Angeles Sparks on Saturday afternoon in a battle for the WNBA’s Commissioner’s Cup.
Before the game, the Lynx honored four-time WNBA champion Semeion Augustus, who entered the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame back in October.
The Lynx took control of the game right from the opening tip, going up by double-digits midway through the first quarter. Napheesa Collier, the reigning WNBA Player of the Month, put up 16 points, five rebounds, and four assists in the opening frame.
Minnesota continued its strong play, overpowering LA on both sides of the ball en route to a 19-point lead at the end of the first quarter.
The domination continued in the second quarter for the Lynx as they outscored the Sparks 24-11, going up 58-26 heading into halftime.
Collier had another scoring burst in the second, putting up another ten points, giving her a total of 26 in the first half, surpassing her season average of 25.4 points per game. Courtney Williams also scored 15 points, with the two combining to shoot 16-19 from the field.
The Sparks were able to stop the bleeding to a certain extent, but the second half was largely a formality due to the Lynx’s large lead. The lowest the lead got was 17 points late in the fourth quarter as the Lynx responded to their lone loss of the season with a resounding 101-78 win.
Collier was sensational as she scored 32 points on 13-16 shooting, including three 3-pointers, eight rebounds, six assists, two blocks, and two steals. Williams finished with 17 points on 6-10 shooting, with three of the makes from beyond the arc. Kelsey Plum led the Sparks in scoring with 20 points.
Up Next
The Lynx play their final Commissioner’s Cup game on Tuesday against the Las Vegas Aces at Target Center. The game begins at 7:00 PM CT, airing on FanDuel Sports Network. To advance to the Commissioner’s Cup Final, the Lynx need a victory over the Aces, along with Seattle losing one of their next two games.