The Minnesota Lynx came into this game against the Connecticut Sun on a 3-game winning streak to start the season. The Connecticut Sun, on the other hand, are 0-2 on the season, still looking for their first win. It was a great matchup with Marina Mabrey coming to town to face off against Naphessa Collier. The Connecticut Sun were playing some good defense to start the game off, as the energy on switches was messing with the looks that Minnesota had. The Sun were able to hit their shots, and they took advantage of the paint points with Olivia Nelson-Ododa getting to the rim at will. Marina Mabrey was able to get her shot going, finishing with 22 points, 6 assists, and 8 rebounds. Mabrey was one of the bright spots of the Sun’s night, but she was in foul trouble, and that took a lot of momentum away from their gameplay. Once Mabrey got into foul trouble, it was Haley Peters who added 12 points off the bench to help. Nelson-Ododa was a beast on the boards with 10, but she wasn’t able to make a huge impact once Jessica Shepard/Naphessa Collier got aggressive.
Jessica Shepard came into the game and set the tone inside as her 6 rebounds were crucial. Shepard came in and put a body on Nelson-Ododa, making it tough on her for the rest of the night with physicality. Jessica Shepard put her skills on full display in front of the hometown crowd as she was able to finish with 13 points, 4 assists, and 6 rebounds. Shepard came in clutch for Coach Reeve when Alanna Smith left the game with an injury. The luxury of having depth has been beautiful for Minnesota over the last couple of years, and the scary part is that Kayla McBride hasn’t been on the court with the team yet. KMac was in the building as she was watching her teammates come back in the 4th quarter, as they went on an 18-0 run. The Lynx were down by 15 at the point, and it was Napheesa Collier and Natisha Hiedeman who went on a crazy run to get the team back on top. The Lynx were able to force 23 turnovers tonight and showed that when they get stops, they’re a tough team to beat on any night.
Naphessa Collier finished the game with 33 points, 11 rebounds, and 3 assists on the evening. Napheesa Collier put on a show as she was able to get to her spot, and it didn’t matter who was guarding her. Tina Charles tried her best to hold Napheesa all night, but it didn’t happen as MVPhee was in her mode. Napheesa Collier was drawing multiple defenders, but in true Phee fashion, she was able to find the open player, who happened to be Natisha, who was ready for her moment. Courtney Williams/Bridget Carleton shot 2/22 on the night, but Natisha came in clutch with some major buckets when the game was on the line. The Minnesota Lynx were down 15 points and came back to take care of business. This team has been locked in, and the chemistry is at an all-time high right now. The Minnesota Lynx are now 4-0 on the early season, and they’re on pace to make it right back to the Finals if they keep this up. The Sun found out how it is playing against a well-coached team and a team that went into an offseason of togetherness.
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