Kayla McBride scored a season-high 26 points and the visiting Minnesota Lynx took control in the second quarter and held on for an 88-83 victory over the New York Liberty on Friday night.
The Lynx (12-13) nearly blew a 15-point lead in the final seven-plus minutes by going 0-for-7 with four turnovers after McBride's 3-pointer gave them a 77-62 advantage.
New York began using zone defense and was within 77-76 after two free throws by Breanna Stewart with 2:57 remaining. Rookie Diamond Miller ended New York's 14-0 run by hitting a 3-pointer, and McBride added a layup for an 82-76 lead with 2:06 remaining.
After three-point play by Kayla Thornton moved New York within 86-83 with 4.7 seconds left, Miller sank two free throws on the next possession to ice it.
Miller added 22 points as the Lynx shot 46.5 percent and survived New York's comeback try. Dorka Juhasz added 13 for the Lynx, who played without leading scorer Napheesa Collier (ankle) and lost Emily Engstler to a shoulder injury.
Minnesota won for the third time in four games.
New York's Sabrina Ionescu led all scorers with 31 points to go along with seven assists and seven rebounds, but the guard also committed six of the Liberty's 11 turnovers. Stewart added 23 points but shot 5-for-19 as the Liberty (18-6) hit 36.1 percent and had their four-game winning streak stopped.
New York sped out to a 15-5 lead on a basket by Betnijah Laney, but Minnesota outscored the hosts 17-2 over the rest of the quarter.
McBride's hoop opened a 26-19 lead with 8:25 remaining in the half. Minnesota took a 48-39 lead into halftime after Tiffany Mitchell sank a 33-foot desperation 3-pointer at the buzzer.
Stewart's 3-pointer cut the gap to 54-46 with 8:27 remaining in the third quarter, but Minnesota ripped off a 12-3 run for a 66-49 lead nearly four minutes later on a jumper by Nikolina Millic. The Lynx held a 70-58 edge going into the fourth.
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