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Lynx Announce Unfortunate DiJonai Carrington News Before Mercury Game

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Josh Valdez | Last updated Sep 20, 2025 9:56 PM ET

The Minnesota Lynx are the best team in the WNBA, but the Golden State Valkyries reminded the basketball world on Wednesday that they're mortal.

The Lynx escaped with a 75-74 victory over the expansion squad in Game 2 of the First Round, clinching a spot in the WNBA Semifinals. Guard DiJonai Carrington scored 11 of their 13 bench points, while the Valkyries' second unit notched 20.

Additionally, Minnesota was down by as much as 17, and it shot just 28.6 percent from deep against Golden State's 50 percent. The Lynx also made just five of 10 free throws, while the Valkyries sank seven of nine.

Carrington has been a key piece of Minnesota's bench since it traded for her in August, as she averaged 8.6 points on 48.5 percent shooting (45.5 percent 3 PT) in 16.6 minutes across 11 games. However, the team announced unfortunate news about the 27-year-old on Saturday, via Lynx PR.

"The Minnesota Lynx today announced the following injury update on guard DiJonai Carrington who sustained a left foot injury playing against the Golden State Valkyries on September 17," it said.

"After undergoing an MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging), Carrington was evaluated by team physician Dr. Elena Jelsing at Mayo Clinic Square, where a significant mid-foot sprain was confirmed," it continued. "Carrington will miss the remainder of the 2025 season and further updates on her progress will be provided when available."

NEWS: DiJonai Carrington Injury Update.

Full release: https://t.co/pOmCG1UmEL
— Lynx PR (@Lynx_PR) September 21, 2025

Lynx Must March On Without Extra Boost

Minnesota was 24-5 before acquiring Carrington, so she's not the foundation of the team. Still, having a reliable spark plug off the bench during the playoffs is conducive to success, and the team will now need other players to step up.

Fellow guard Natisha Hiedeman is one of those players. The 28-year-old notched 18 points on 7-15 shooting (2-7 3 PT) with four assists and three rebounds over 26 minutes in Sept. 14th's 101-72 win over the Valkyries, and she's scored 20-plus points in four of the last five games. The Lynx could use that version of her in Game 1 against the Phoenix Mercury on Sunday.

Another one is forward Jessica Shepard. The Notre Dame alum didn't score on Thursday, but she notched double-digit points in each of her previous four outings. She also averaged eight points on 63.8 percent shooting with 7.3 rebounds across 20.9 minutes in the regular season.

Sunday's matchup with the Mercury will start at 5:00 p.m. ET on ESPN.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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