Lynx, Napheesa Collier use third-quarter surge to beat Mystics 99-83

And then the third quarter happened.

In the course of 10 minutes of nearly flawless basketball Saturday afternoon, on the road playing a Washington team for the second time in three days, the Lynx turned a contest into a conquest. A competitive game into a runaway in a 99-83 victory that wasn’t as close as the score might indicate.

And it all started with Napheesa Collier.

Up six points at halftime, the Lynx (19-8) outscored the Mystics (6-21) 33-17 in the third quarter. Collier scored 15 of her 30 in that time. The Lynx shot 12-for-15 in the quarter; Collier went 6-for-6. She made one of Minnesota’s four threes. By the time it ended, the game was as good as over.

There were other fine performances for the Lynx. Courtney Williams had 14 points, 10 in the second quarter. Bridget Carleton made three three-pointers and four field goals while scoring 16. Kayla McBride had 10.

But this was the Collier show, and that was by design.

“It was top of mind to get Phee going again,” Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve said.

Collier missed the final five games prior to the Olympic Games with a foot injury. But, even before that, Reeve was looking for more.

“Getting Phee to [this] level, that was the focus today,” Reeve said.

It helped that Williams and Natisha Hiedeman, who combined for eight assists from the point guard position, played the pick-and-roll so well. But, unlike Thursday, the ball was moving again for Minnesota, which had 26 assists on 37 made baskets. Eight of the 12 players who got in the game had multiple assists.

But it was Collier’s aggression that really made things work. She made 13 of 16 shots, getting time and again into her sweet spot in the lane.

And that started early. The Lynx looked a bit lackluster in the opening minutes. But, coming out of a timeout, Collier changed that. She scored 11 points in the first quarter, at one point scoring seven straight.

But in the third quarter, she really got going. Up just three with under nine minutes left in the third quarter, the Lynx finished it 31-12. Six Lynx players scored in that run, with Collier scoring 13, including six of eight Lynx points at one point and Minnesota’s final four points of the quarter.

“Courtney was doing such a good job in the pick-and-roll,” Collier said. “But I tried to be more intentional. I was slowing myself down and reading the defense, seeing if I had a lane.”

It was Collier’s third 30-point game of the season, the ninth of her career, including playoffs. Carleton has played with Collier for a while, so she’s seen her teammate get hot before. But this was special.

“I knew she was going crazy in the third quarter,” Carleton said. “But I didn’t know she had 30 until after the game. Phee is the type of player, that can happen whenever she plays. She makes it easier for everyone on the court.”

On Thursday at Target Center, the Lynx needed a fourth-quarter spurt to break a tie game. On Saturday, they got their distance a little earlier, despite the Mystics getting a season-high 23 points from center Stefanie Dolson, who hit six threes and was a perfect 8-for-8 overall.

Afterward, Reeve wasn’t thrilled, overall, with a defense that let Washington — which lost Karlie Samuelson to a knee injury in the first minute — shoot better than 48%. But the Lynx locked it down in the third quarter on defense and flowed freely on offense for most of the game. They matched a season high with 37 made field goals, shot a season-high 57.8% overall and made 11 of 21 threes.

“Everything was centered around Phee,” Reeve said. “Her play, her aggression, helped create situations for the whole team.”

The Star Tribune did not send the writer of this article to the game. This was written using a broadcast, interviews and other material.