Williams scores 25 as Lynx earn 11th straight home win, beating Sky 80-75

MINNEAPOLIS, MN — Courtney Williams matched her season high with 25 points, and Napheesa Collier added 21 as the Minnesota Lynx edged out the Chicago Sky 80-75 on Sunday night.

With the win, the Lynx improved to 17-2 and set a new franchise record by opening the season with 11 straight home victories. The previous record was 10, set during their 2013 championship campaign.

Collier remained perfect from the free-throw line, sinking all seven of her attempts. She has now made a franchise-record 45 consecutive free throws, surpassing Lindsay Whalen’s single-season mark of 41. The overall consecutive record previously belonged to Candice Wiggins, who made 44 spanning the 2009 and 2010 seasons.

For Chicago (5-12), rookie Angel Reese recorded her 11th double-double of the season with 16 points, 17 rebounds, and six assists.

Kayla McBride delivered a clutch floater as the shot clock expired, putting the Lynx up 76-70 with just 27 seconds remaining. Rachel Banham answered with a 3-pointer for the Sky to cut the deficit to two, but McBride hit one of two free throws on the next possession. Alanna Smith sealed the win by blocking Banham’s potential game-tying 3-point attempt with 9.1 seconds left.

Banham had her best outing of the season, hitting six 3-pointers and scoring 20 points. Elizabeth Williams contributed 12 points, while Ariel Atkins and Michaela Onyenwere chipped in 11 each.

Chicago came out strong, taking a 24-10 lead after the first quarter, but struggled in the second, shooting just 25% (5-of-20). The Lynx stormed back with a 16-2 run and took a slim 38-37 lead into halftime following a layup by Reese.

Sunday’s game was Minnesota’s third in four days and their fourth in six.