Collier scores 32 in return, Lynx beat Fever
Published
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Napheesa Collier had 32 points and nine rebounds in her return from a seven-game absence and the Minnesota Lynx beat the Indiana Fever 97-84 on Sunday night.
Collier, who was the favorite to win WNBA MVP before she suffered an ankle injury in the third quarter of a 111-58 win over Las Vegas on Aug. 2, shot 11 for 19 from the field.
Courtney Williams had 14 points and 10 assists with no turnovers for Minnesota (30-7). Kayla McBride and Maria Kliundikova scored 13 points apiece.
Kelsey Mitchell led Indiana (19-18) with 26 points on 7-for-12 shooting and Shey Peddy scored a season-high 16. Aliyah Boston had 14 points and Natasha Howard scored 10. Aerial Powers had five points, five rebounds and three assists.
Caitlin Clark (groin) missed her 15th consecutive game for the Fever. The 2024 WNBA rookie of the year has missed 24 of the Fever’s 37 games this season due to various injuries.
STORM 84, MYSTICS 82
WASHINGTON (AP) — Nneka Ogwumike hit a 15-foot jumper as time expired and finished with six 3-pointers and 30 points as Seattle beat Washington.
Seattle (20-18) has won four of its last five following a six-game skid. Washington (16-22) has lost four games in a row.
Sug Sutton hit a 3-pointer from the left wing to make it 82-all with 6.1 seconds left. Ogwumike caught a pass from Sklar Diggins near the right elbow and made a spinning fade-away jumper that bounced multiple times as it rolled around the rim and then dropped.
Dominique Malongo had 17 points, 10 rebounds, the 19-year-old rookie’s fourth double-double this season, and three steals, and Skylar Diggins added 10 points and 11 assists for the Storm.
Shakira Austin made 10 of 15 shots from the field, 10 of 10 from the line and scored a career-high 30 points for the Mystics. Sonia Citron added 14 points, Kiki Iriafen scored 12 and Stefanie Dolson 11.
Dolson hit a 3 to cap an 11-1 run that cut Washington’s deficit to three late in the third quarter and Austin made a driving layup with 4:53 to go in the fourth quarter that gave Washington its first lead at 71-70.
Iriafen finished with six rebounds and has a franchise single-season record 332. Crystal Langhorn held the previous record of 330, set in 2010.
Malonga made a layup that gave Seattle its biggest lead at 35-21 with 7:28 remaining in the first half.
Noelle Quinn earned her 94th win for Seattle and moved past Anne Donovan for second on the franchise’s all-time coaching wins list.
The Storm play the fourth of five consecutive road games Tuesday at Indiana. The Mystics play the Liberty in New York on Thursday.
VALKYRIES 90, WINGS 81
ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Veronica Burton had 25 points, 13 assists and a career-high four blocks and Golden State beat Dallas, sending the Wings to their fifth straight loss.
Golden State (19-18) snapped a three-game skid and has a one-game lead over the Los Angeles Sparks for the eighth and final spot in the WNBA playoffs, which begin Sept. 14.
Iliana Rupert tied her career high with 17 points, Kaila Charles matcher her career best with 16 points and Kate Martin hit four 3-pointers and finished with 12 points for the Valkyries.
Burton, who had her fourth double-double this season, made a layup with 7:53 to play that capped a 10-0 run and gave the Valkyries their biggest lead of the game at 69-55.
Dallas (9-28) has lost 10 of its last 11.
Maddy Siegrist led the Wings with 16 points and Myisha Hines-Allen scored 15. Amy Okonkwo made her second WNBA appearance and added a career-high 12 points, and Grace Berger scored 11. Rookie Paige Bueckers had nine points on 3-of-12 shooting, grabbed a career-high tying nine rebounds and five assists.