Lynx return from Olympics break to cold-shooting start, hot finish to hold off Mystics

A month’s worth of Olympic break had put a patina of rust on a Lynx offense that spent the first months of the season flowing freely.

It took three-plus quarters for Courtney Williams and Napheesa Collier to apply the WD-40.

Playing the finally-healthy but last-place Washington Mystics at Target Center Thursday, Williams and Collier helped open up a tied game late in a 79-68 victory.

The win kept the Lynx (18-8) in third place in the WNBA, despite 40% shooting, a 16-assist total on 28 made shots that was far below their norm and 8-for-26 shooting from three-point range.

“It was pretty ugly,” admitted Collier, who had a game-high 17 points, 12 rebounds and two steals. “But that’s a staple of this team. Good or bad, we find a way to get through.”

That they did.

After 11 ties and 15 lead changes, the fourth quarter began tied at 58-58. It was still tied, 63-63, when Washington’s Aliyah Edwards scored with 6:04 left in the game.

But then the Lynx got a stop, the ball got to Williams out of a pick-and-roll and she hit a three with 4:24 left.

Then Collier hit a 12-foot turnaround. On the ensuing possession Collier stole the ball and went end to end to put the Lynx up seven with 2:50 left.

That was enough.

If the Lynx were a bit rusty on offense, it was different on the other end. The Lynx held Washington (6-20) to 37.5% shooting, scored 20 points off the Mystics’ 16 turnovers and got nine steals, including four from Kayla McBride, whose three with 1:36 left sealed the win.

“Finding a way is what this team has done all year,” said coach Cheryl Reeve. She and Collier were honored for their Olympic gold medals pregame, along with Alanna Smith (Australia) and Bridget Carleton (Canada) who also played in Paris. “Collectively, this is what the team has done. I saw that in timeouts, during the course of the game. They had that.”

Williams had 14 points, five assists and four rebounds. Smith had 12 points and eight boards.

Washington was led by Ariel Atkins’ 12 points.

Usually a high-assist team, the Lynx played a little too much two-player pick-and-roll basketball, Reeve said. The ball didn’t move as much as it should. There could be more off-ball movement.

The Lynx will have another chance at it in the rematch at Washington Saturday afternoon.

But on Thursday, like they have much of the season, the Lynx found a way regardless, thanks to Williams and Collier.

“I’m just a gamer,” said Williams, who was a .318 three-point shooter entering the game but made two of three Thursday, both in the fourth quarter, both of them giving the Lynx a lead and the second time for good.

“When it’s time to win, whatever it takes I’ll do,” Williams said. “It was open. I had to take it or Cheryl would cuss me out.”

The win was particularly important considering the expected tightness of the upcoming race for playoff position and the fact that, of the team’s final 15 games, only six are at home. The Lynx had been away from their fans a month; Collier — whose bobblehead was handed out to fans at the game — talked about how great it was to be home.

Reeve agreed.

“We only have [a few] home games left,” Reeve said. “That was on my mind. You don’t want to waste your home games.”