The Minnesota Lynx entered the night riding a season-high four-game winning streak built upon great offense, but flipped the script on Friday night, using excellent defense to defeat the Phoenix Mercury 75-64.
Head Coach Cheryl Reeve’s defense held the Mercury to 23/61 (37.7%) from the floor (including just 44% in the paint), moving Minnesota to 145-6 since 2011 when their defense holds opponents to under 40% shooting. All-Star forward Napheesa Collier’s 12 points led the way on the other end.
After an 0-6 start, the Lynx improved to .500 (9-9) for the first time this season, capping off a 9-3 stretch over the team’s last 12 games, which is tied for the second-best mark in the league in that span.