Alanna Smith scored 18 points to lead all five Minnesota starters in double figures, and the visiting Lynx posted a resounding 100-86 victory over the defending WNBA champion Las Vegas Aces on Tuesday.
Kayla McBride (16 points and eight assists), Courtney Williams (15 points and nine assists), Bridget Carleton (15 points) and Napheesa Collier (14 points, six rebounds, six assists) also made key offensive contributions for the Lynx.
A’ja Wilson kept the Aces within striking distance as long as possible, putting up nine of her game-leading 28 points coming in the fourth quarter. However, after cutting Minnesota’s lead from 20 points to 11 midway through the fourth, the Aces were unable to draw closer.
Las Vegas got 13 points from Kelsey Plum, 11 from Megan Gustafson and 10 from Tiffany Hayes. Kiah Stokes grabbed a game-high nine rebounds.
Minnesota (9-3) won for the fifth time in six games while Las Vegas (5-5) took its third defeat in a row.
The Lynx moved to 4-1 in the Commissioner’s Cup competition, while the Aces slipped to 1-3 in Commissioner’s Cup games.
The Aces jumped out to a quick 7-0 lead, but the Lynx responded with a 14-6 run to take their first lead on a Carleton 3-pointer. After both teams put together their highest-scoring quarter of the game, the Aces carried a 31-29 lead into the second.
Things remained tight for the majority of the second period, but a four-point play from McBride jumpstarted a 10-3 run that gave the Lynx a 59-48 lead after 20 minutes of play.
The Lynx extended their advantage to 18 early in the second half after another 10-3 run on the back of five points from Williams. After Collier sank two free throws in the final seconds, Minnesota carried an 18-point margin into the final 10 minutes.
–Field Level Media