Olivia Miles returned from a two-game absence and scored 23 points in the Minnesota Lynx’s 90-85 win over the New York Liberty on Saturday.
The Lynx were led by Kayla McBride’s 25 points, while Natasha Howard added 16 points, 9 rebounds and 2 steals. Courtney Williams grabbed 12 boards for Minnesota, which improved its record to a WNBA-best 17-6.
Miles, who was sidelined with a calf injury, also tallied 5 rebounds and dished out 4 assists. The rookie sealed the Lynx’s win by swishing four free throws in the final minute of the game. Named an All-Star starter earlier this week, Miles leads the Lynx with an average of 18.7 points and 5.6 assists per game
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The Liberty held a 62-58 lead toward the end of the third quarter, but McBride hit a 3-pointer to cut the margin to one point. Jonquel Jones hit a 3 as the fourth quarter began to restore New York’s lead to four points.
A 3 from Williams tied the score at 72-72 and the Lynx went ahead for good on two free throws by Howard. Liberty coach Chris DeMarco was called for a technical foul after arguing over a loose ball foul on Jones, and that was followed by McBride hitting a 3 to increase the Lynx’s lead to 78-72.
New York closed to within one point three times during the final 4:26 of the fourth quarter, but could not regain the lead. McBride sank the dagger by hitting another 3 with 2:43 remaining to give Minnesota an 84-80 lead. She finished 5-for-11 from behind the arc.
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Sabrina Ionescu matched McBride’s 25 points, but shot 9-for-20 from the floor (and 3-for-12 on 3s). Breanna Stewart followed with 17 points and 7 rebounds, while Jones finished with 15 points and 12 boards. The Liberty dropped to 13-10 with the loss, tying them with the Atlanta Dream for the seventh seed in the WNBA standings.
With the victory, the Lynx maintained a hold on the top spot in the league, staying tied with the Las Vegas Aces. (The Aces blew out the Phoenix Mercury on Saturday to improve their record to 17-6.) Both teams moved a half-game ahead of the Golden State Valkyries (17-7), who don’t play again until Wednesday against the Indiana Fever.
