MINNEAPOLIS — Rookie Olivia Miles poured in 24 points with eight assists and six rebounds as the Minnesota Lynx stretched their winning streak to eight games with a 100-93 victory over the Toronto Tempo on Tuesday night at Target Center.
Miles shot 9-of-17 from the floor including four 3-pointers for Minnesota (23-6), which owns the best record in the WNBA. The rookie guard's playmaking was on full display as she orchestrated a Lynx offense that shot 56 percent from beyond the arc, connecting on 14 of 25 attempts.
Kayla McBride added 18 points with four triples of her own, while Napheesa Collier contributed 15 points and Natasha Howard chipped in 13. Reserve guard Antonia Delaere provided a spark off the bench with 12 points on 4-of-5 shooting from distance.
The Lynx trailed 28-25 after the first quarter before flipping the script in the second, outscoring Toronto 28-15 to take a 53-43 lead into halftime. Miles had 15 points by the break.
Minnesota appeared to put the game away when Miles converted a layup to push the lead to 89-75 with 6:32 remaining. But the Tempo answered with a furious rally — Laura Juskaite and Kia Nurse drilled back-to-back 3-pointers to cap a 12-0 run, trimming the deficit to just two points. Delaere responded with consecutive triples to restore order at 95-87, and the Lynx held on down the stretch.
Marina Mabrey led Toronto (10-17) with 25 points, eight rebounds and six assists. Maria Conde posted a double-double with 20 points and 10 boards, while Juskaite finished with 18 points. The Tempo have lost four straight and eight of their last nine.
The two teams meet again Thursday in Toronto for the second installment of this two-game series.
Sources
- https://apnews.com/article/toronto-tempo-minnesota-lynx-score-wnba-2e6db561243c8ca61e9790abec0f4022
