Napheesa Collier Makes WNBA History Against Connecticut Sun

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Robert Marvi | Last updated May 23, 2025 11:46 PM ET

Last year, the Minnesota Lynx finished with a Western Conference-best 30-10 record, but their season ended in heartbreaking fashion as they lost in Game 5 of the WNBA Finals in overtime to the New York Liberty.

But in the early days of the new season, they have looked very solid.

They improved to 4-0 on Friday with a 76-70 win over the Connecticut Sun, the team they defeated in the semifinals in five games last season. Forward Napheesa Collier continued her stellar play to begin 2025 with 33 points on 11-of-21 shooting from the field, 11 rebounds, three assists, three steals and three blocks.

She became the first player in league history to put those numbers in a single game.

Napheesa Collier tonight:

33 PTS
11 REB
3 AST
3 STL
3 BLK

First player in WNBA history to reach those numbers in a game.
— Underdog WNBA (@UnderdogWNBA) May 24, 2025

Collier made her fourth All-Star team in six previous seasons and was named the Defensive Player of the Year in 2024. She averaged 20.4 points on 49.2% field-goal shooting, 9.7 rebounds, 3.4 assists, 1.9 steals and 1.4 blocks per game

In the Lynx's season opener last Friday against Paige Bueckers and the Dallas Wings, Collier poured in 34 points. She made all 21 of her free throw attempts in her first three contests of this season.

Before Minnesota took her with the No. 6 pick in the 2019 WNBA Draft, she was a big star at UConn. While there, she averaged 16.1 points on 60.1% overall shooting and 8.1 rebounds per game, and she won the women's NCAA championship as a freshman in 2016.

She was named the AAC Defensive Player of the Year and earned her second AAC Player of the Year award in 2019.

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

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