WNBA: Minnesota Lynx at Phoenix Mercury – Notes From the Office

The Minnesota Lynx rolled into PHX Arena to face the Phoenix Mercury, hoping to extend their winning streak to six games. Minnesota, without the services of Napheesa Collier and Phoenix, without Alyssa Thomas, battled it out in a gritty and often inconsistently played game.

Each team has a variety of players with varied experiences, from seasoned vets to rookies. For the most part, the vets carried the bulk of the weight. How much the missing pieces would have affected the outcome is hard to say, but their absence was palpable.

This was a game where neither team ran away with a big lead or dominant performance. Neither team ended with an impressive shooting percentage, the Mercury with 39.4% and the Lynx with 36.2%. Rebounds were close, separated only by 3 with Phoenix edging the Lynx 38 – 35. While the Mercury dominated the paint the Lynx bettered Phoenix from three. Neither team ever had what one might call an insurmountable lead. Not a particularly high scoring game, it was nonetheless entertaining.

Scoring Leaders for Minnesota and Phoenix

Satou Sabally and Kayla McBride led their respective teams in scoring, with Sabally getting some strong assistance from Sami Whitcomb and Kalani Brown, while McBride was supported by Alanna Smith and Courtney Williams. However, there were key baskets from Natisha Hiedeman and Jessica Shepard for Minnesota and Monique Akoa Makani and Lexi Held for Phoenix that added some fuel to the fire. Not always the prettiest game, but certainly a hard fought one.

A Back-and-Forth Matchup Between the Lynx and Mercury

The first half saw Minnesota with a three point lead after one quarter and the Mercury retaliate with a one point lead at the half. While the Mercury bested the Lynx by four in the third quarter, Minnesota bounced back in the fourth frame, much the way they did against Connecticut, although with a smaller lead to erase. It was equally gritty, capped with what proved to be the game winning three from Hiedeman giving Minnesota the 74 – 71 victory.