Two days removed from a Lynx win in which Napheesa Collier scored a career-high 33 points, the Seattle Storm would surely take some adjustments into the teams' Thursday rematch.
Napheesa Collier scores 31 points, including game-winning basket, as Lynx edge Storm in overtime
Seattle's Jewell Loyd scored a career-high 41 points, but she dribbled the ball off her foot under Lynx defensive pressure to set up Collier's clutch shot with 1.1 seconds remaining in a 99-97 victory.
June 30, 2023 at 2:00PM
One of Collier's teammates hoped so, for their own sake.
"You'd think that they'd probably double [Napheesa]," guard Rachel Banham said. "If not, all right."
Whatever extra defensive help the Storm sent Collier's way was ultimately all but irrelevant, especially when the final outcome hung in the balance.
Collier's clutch gene left fans in attendance at Climate Pledge Arena deflated after a wire-to-wire show that ended as a 99-97 overtime win for the Lynx (6-9) — thanks to Collier's calm fadeaway jumper with 1.1 seconds left. It looked as if she'd already done it numerous times before. But according to the star 6-1 forward, it was her first-ever game-winner.
"I missed the first one, so it's like, 'I got to make this one,'" she said, having missed an earlier shot that could have ended the game in regulation.
Nonetheless, Collier's 31 points, eight rebounds, six blocks and five assists etched her name next to heralded WNBA legend Candace Parker as the only players to score 30-plus points with five or more in each of the three other categories. The statistic was read to the media just moments before Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve opened her postgame news conference. And several minutes in, she couldn't help but take time to be impressed by it.
"The statline, second player ever in the history of our league versus a lot of great players — I think that speaks to how [Napheesa] was feeling about the game, the way she imposed her will in every facet," Reeve said.
It was going to take as much as Collier gave to overshadow what was an impressive night for WNBA scoring leader Jewell Loyd, who reset her career high with 41 points. Loyd, too, embraced the extra five minutes allocated, making shot after shot to match a Lynx squad that somehow proved to be just as resilient in the latter stages of a game that featured 12 lead changes and 10 separate ties.
"You hope that the fire doesn't get started," Reeve said of Loyd. "… You know, because now it's just gonna be like it leaves her hand and you're going, 'Okay, that one's in, that one's in.'"
Loyd, however, dribbled the ball off her foot with 7.1 seconds left in overtime, giving Collier and the Lynx their final opportunity.
They weren't at all overwhelmed, thanks to Collier — who played all 45 minutes — and dynamic rookie talent Diamond Miller. They played with the same aggression and efficiency that helped their team eclipse 100 points only 48 hours prior, and even Kayla McBride shot well again.
To complement the 31 and 19 points that Collier and Miller respectively compiled, McBride also totaled 19 points and shot 6-for-12 from the field with four three-pointers. Loyd was comparably backed, considering how much of an impact Sami Whitcomb had off Seattle's bench. She added 22 points with 7-for-11 shooting that included four threes.
It just wasn't enough.
The Star Tribune did not send the writer of this article to the game. This was written using a broadcast, interviews and other material.
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