Lynx Rally in Second Half to Down Mercury in Semifinal Opener
MINNEAPOLIS, MN — Courtney Williams led a second-half surge with 23 points and a career-high five steals, as the top-seeded Minnesota Lynx overcame a halftime deficit to defeat the Phoenix Mercury 82-69 on Sunday in Game 1 of their best-of-five WNBA semifinal series.
Kayla McBride added 21 points and hit a clutch three-pointer late in the fourth quarter, while Napheesa Collier contributed 18 points and nine rebounds for Minnesota, which took a 1-0 lead in the series. Game 2 is set for Tuesday night in Minneapolis before the series shifts to Phoenix for Game 3 on Friday.
The Lynx, who trailed by as many as nine points and were down 47-40 at halftime, struggled defensively early on. Phoenix dominated the paint in the first half, scoring 42 of its 47 points inside. But Minnesota regrouped during the break, fueled by leadership from the veteran Williams.
“She was a big voice for us in the locker room,” said Lynx head coach Cheryl Reeve. “She challenged her teammates and then backed it up on the court.”
Williams responded with 12 of her 23 points coming after halftime, and her energy on defense set the tone for a Lynx team that tightened the screws. After giving up 47 in the first two quarters, Minnesota held Phoenix to just 22 points in the second half — and only seven in the paint.
McBride’s late-game heroics included a deep three-pointer that extended Minnesota’s lead to 73-67 with under four minutes remaining. From there, the Lynx never looked back.
“When she’s out there hooping and confident, it’s contagious,” McBride said of Williams. “It just becomes a lot of fun out there, playing the game within the game.”
On the Phoenix side, Kahleah Copper led the Mercury with 22 points, and Alyssa Thomas added 18. However, leading scorer Satou Sabally was held to just 10 points — well below her season average of 16.3.
Collier, who earlier in the day was announced as the runner-up to A’ja Wilson in the WNBA MVP voting, got off to a hot start with 10 points in the first quarter. She went scoreless in the second but added eight crucial points in the third to help even the game at 59 heading into the final frame.
Phoenix, the fourth seed, had little time to rest after defeating the defending champion New York Liberty on Friday night. The Mercury flew to Minnesota on Saturday, and the effects of that quick turnaround may have shown in the second half.
Although Minnesota won three of four regular-season matchups against Phoenix, Sunday’s game marked the first time they faced a fully healthy Mercury lineup. Copper didn’t appear in any of the regular-season games, while Thomas and Sabally missed at least one each.
“The other Mercury teams that we saw didn’t look anything like this, so we knew it would be a learning experience for us,” said Reeve.
Despite the slow start, Minnesota made key adjustments and leaned on their experienced core to protect home court. Now, they’ll look to build on that momentum in Game 2.
