With simply over 2½ minutes left within the third quarter of the Lynx’s recreation with Connecticut at Goal Heart on Thursday, in entrance of the Lynx bench, star Napheesa Collier made a reduce.
She got here up limping, with none obvious contact. However she left the sport with what the crew referred to as a left foot harm and didn’t return.
As of Thursday evening it was unsure how in depth an harm Collier — set to play in her second Olympics this summer season, main the Lynx in each approach — had sustained.
However which may have been probably the most tough factor to take from Minnesota’s 78-73 loss to the Solar. It was the primary time the Lynx (14-6) had misplaced consecutive video games this season. Having it occur along with your greatest participant on the bench simply made issues worse.
“I imply, she’s an MVP-candidate participant,” stated Kayla McBride, who hit three of six threes and scored 13 factors with eight rebounds and 4 assists. “We wish her on the courtroom with us, her dominance and presence at each ends. We wanted her at that second.”
When Collier left the sport the Lynx trailed 55-53, having already given up a 10-point lead from earlier within the third quarter. And if it did not harm the Lynx immediately, it did finally. After Diamond Miller’s three-point play with 7:35 left within the recreation tied the rating at 64, the Solar (16-4) went on a 10-0 run to go up 74-64 on Tiffany Mitchell’s driving layup with just below three minutes left.
It was the decisive run in a recreation filled with them.
To Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve, with or with out Collier, the Lynx did not do sufficient to win.
“You possibly can’t reply to a crew’s physicality by calling for fouls,” Reeve stated. “Now we have to reply with aggressive play. If the ball is in your arms, do not return in your heels. All the fundamental stuff. We simply need to play a bit of harder, bodily. There have been occasions we did that, there have been occasions we did not do it sufficient.”
Like, for instance, the primary quarter, when Connecticut got here out and constructed a 20-9 lead led by DeWanna Bonner, who scored 11 of her 24 factors within the first seven minutes.
For a lot of the remainder of the sport the groups traded runs. The Lynx took the lead and Connecticut answered again. Down 34-27 with simply over 4 minutes left within the first half, the Lynx went on a 24-6 run over the following six minutes to take a 48-38 lead early within the third, solely to have Connecticut rating the following 10.
Down 64-58 coming into the fourth quarter, the Lynx tied the rating at 64 on Miller’s three-point play.
After which Alyssa Thomas took over. Over the ultimate 7½ minutes of the sport Thomas — who completed with a 13-point, 14-assist, 10-rebound triple double — did not rating. However she assisted on 4 of 5 Connecticut discipline objectives and grabbed 5 rebounds.
“Via the years we have tried loads of issues,” Reeve stated about Thomas. “After each recreation we are saying, ‘It did not work.’ She’s simply that good. She’s sensible sufficient to know the place the ball ought to go.”
BOXSCORE: Connecticut 78, Lynx 73
The Lynx had 4 of 5 starters in double figures: Alanna Smith (14), McBride (13), Courtney Williams (12) and Bridget Carleton (12). They shot 45.2%. However, on the most simple stage, they only could not match Connecticut’s depth stage for the total 40 minutes.
Now the Lynx is perhaps with out Collier for a minimum of some time. And, maybe, backup guard Olivia Époupa, who left the sport within the first half due to a thigh harm.
“Phee is aware of we now have her again,” McBride stated. “It doesn’t matter what the circumstances are. We wish her to be wholesome. She’s our chief. However in case you are with out her? All season lengthy we have talked about this being a collective effort. Everyone has to do some extra at each ends.”
