Napheesa Collier posted game highs of 26 points and 14 rebounds, and her clutch play down the stretch powered the visiting Minnesota Lynx to a 67-61 defeat of the Los Angeles Sparks on Tuesday.
Collier hit a pair of jumpers in the final 3:28 -- one of which banked in from the top of the key near the free-throw line -- that pushed a one-point Minnesota leads to three. She also snared a key defensive rebound with 41.1 seconds remaining after Chiney Ogwumike's miss that allowed the Lynx to drain clock on the ensuing possession.
Collier also helped set the tone for a critical fourth quarter -- that Minnesota won 18-12 -- with her game-tying buzzer-beater at the end of the third.
The Lynx (4-8) limited the Sparks (5-7) to a season low in points, holding Los Angeles to 23-of-62 (37.1 percent) shooting from the floor. Minnesota also forced 18 turnovers, including Tiffany Mitchell's interception of an Ogwumike pass attempt with 15.1 seconds left that effectively sealed the Lynx's win.
Mitchell came away with five steals for the game, Collier swiped three and Kayla McBride made two. Bridget Carleton joined Collier as the only other Minnesota scorer in double figures with 14 points, with all four of her made field-goal attempts coming from beyond the arc.
Nikolina Milic scored nine points off the bench for the Lynx, and Lindsay Allen dished eight assists in reserve duty.
The win was Minnesota's third in 10 days over Los Angeles. It was also its fourth overall victory in the team's last six games. For Los Angeles, Tuesday's loss marked its third straight and fourth in the last five contests.
Nneka Ogwumike led the Sparks with 20 points and nine rebounds. Jordin Canada added 10 points and a team-high five assists.
Dearica Hamby chipped in with nine points and eight rebounds, Karlie Samuelson scored all nine of her points on 3-of-5 shooting from 3-point range and Rae Burrell went 3-for-4 from the field off the bench for seven points.
Los Angeles took a 33-32 lead into the break thanks to 13 points from Nneka Ogwumike. Neither team led by more than eight throughout the game.
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