Napheesa Collier made a triumphant return to the WNBA hardwood on Wednesday afternoon, posting 24 points and 10 rebounds in her season debut to lead the Minnesota Lynx to an 86-76 victory over the Seattle Storm at Climate Pledge Arena.
The Lynx (22-6) head into the All-Star break with the best record in the league, thanks in large part to the return of their two-way anchor. Collier, who tore ligaments in her left ankle during last year's playoffs and underwent surgeries on both ankles in the offseason, played 24 controlled minutes and showed the form that made her the WNBA Defensive Player of the Year and the MVP runner-up last season.
Collier shot 9-of-20 from the field, connecting on two three-pointers, and added three free throws in a critical late-game sequence. After the Storm had cut the deficit to 77-76 with 1:42 remaining — fueled by five points from Flau'jae Johnson in a 19-second burst — Collier drew a foul on a desperation three-point attempt as the shot clock expired and calmly sank all three free throws.
She then followed a Seattle miss with a turnaround jumper, and the Lynx sealed the game with four more free throws, closing on a 9-0 run.
Kayla McBride added 20 points, coming up just short of joining Diana Taurasi and A'ja Wilson as the only players with 23 points in eight straight games. Olivia Miles contributed 13 points, and Natasha Howard finished with 11 for Minnesota.
Dominique Malonga led the Storm (6-23) with 21 points and nine rebounds. Flau'jae Johnson added 16 points, Natisha Hiedeman chipped in 12, and Awa Fam recorded a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds. Seattle has now lost six straight and eight of their last nine.
It was Fam's foul on Collier's three-point attempt with 1:19 to play that proved decisive, erasing the momentum Seattle had built after Johnson's scoring burst.
The Lynx will look to carry their momentum into the second half of the season when they host Toronto on Tuesday. The Storm remain in Seattle to face Indiana in their next outing.
Sources
- https://apnews.com/article/lynx-storm-score-napheesa-collier-0ecef93651234104660ad4d236bb806b
