And then came the third quarter.
In the first half of the Minnesota Lynx’s game at Washington on Saturday afternoon – a rematch of Minnesota’s win at Target Center two days earlier – the two teams were essentially evenly matched. In the opening minutes of the second half, Washington’s Shakira Austin scored five points as the Mystics closed to within three.
Minnesota converted its next 10 shots. The Lynx scored from everywhere, but especially from Napheesa Collier, and went on a 30-9 run.
The final: Lynx 99, Washington 83 in a game in which the Lynx led by as many as 27 points. Minnesota (19-8) won its second straight game after the Olympic break and faces a home-and-away series against Las Vegas. Washington, which lost Karlie Samuelson in the first minute to a knee injury, fell to 6-21.
Collier scored 30 points, one shy of her season high. She made 13 of 16 shots, had four rebounds, three assists and two steals while sitting on the bench early in the fourth quarter. She scored seven straight points in the first quarter to help the Lynx regain momentum. She hit all six of her shots and scored 15 of Minnesota’s 33 points in a 33-17 third quarter that saw the Lynx take a 22-point lead into the fourth quarter.
Minnesota’s point total was the second-highest in a regular season game this season. The Lynx shot a season-best 57.8% and made 11 of 21 three-pointers.
It was a masterpiece on offense. After the Lynx had only 16 assists on 28 goals in Thursday’s win over Washington, they had 26 assists on 37 goals on Saturday.
