Lynx 79, Sky 74: Williams’ 22 Points Spoils Reese’s Historic Feat

Chicago rookie, Angel Reese, sets a new WNBA single-season rebounding record, but Minnesota earns the victory thanks to Courtney Williams’ shot-making.

The Minnesota Lynx were itching to get back on their homecourt after spending last week on a quick road trip down south, ending with a disappointing loss to the second to last place Dallas Wings on Friday. On a Sunday afternoon matinee game, they welcomed the Chicago Sky, who were desperately fighting for a playoff spot. Without their leading scorer Chennedy Carter, it was going to be an uphill battle for the young Chicago team.

Photo by David Sherman/NBAE via Getty Images

The Start — Signature Beautiful Basketball

It was announced shortly before the game that Minnesota was going to be without the services of their starting center, Alanna Smith. She suffered a right ankle injury on Friday after taking an awkward step, and though she returned and tried to play through it, Cheryl Reeve and the medical team decided to rule her out. In her stead, second-year center Dorka Juhász got the opportunity for her seventh start of the season. Her impact was felt right from the get go, getting a steal, rebound, score, and assist in the first few minutes of the game.

Six quick points from Napheesa Collier helped her team build double-digit lead less than halfway through the quarter, while Kayla McBride also chipped in eight of her points in the period. The Minnesota offensive machine churned out 11 assists on 11 field goals made.

Meanwhile on the other side, the Sky struggled to maintain control of the ball and generate quality offense. They turned it over five times in the first quarter alone as life without Carter continued to be difficult, having lost both of their last two games without her. The number three overall pick of the 2024 WNBA draft, Kamilla Cardoso, was the lone bright spot as she poured in 12 points and 3 rebounds by playing every second of the first.

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The Middle — Angel Reese Sets Single-Season Rebounding Record

The second quarter was less than spectacular by both teams. They each shot under 32% in the period, though the Lynx were able to keep the Sky away. Collier, in particular, struggled from the field, going 1 of 6. Her team watched Michaela Onyenwere score 9 points of her own by relentlessly attacking the paint. The absence of Smith was certainly felt in the interior. A 39-32 Lynx lead at the half felt like it was something the Sky could be happy with, all things considered.

However, just like the first two quarters, Minnesota rattled off some runs to rebuild a double-digit lead again. Though both teams were able to shoot better in the third, it was the scoring of McBride and Courtney Williams that helped the Lynx build a game-high 13 points lead late in the third period. Angel Reese, who achieved the single-season rebound record of 405 rebounds in the second quarter, scored all 9 of her points in final three minutes of the quarter to keep her team within arm’s reach.

The Finish — Curtains by Courtney

Reese used her momentum from the previous quarter to pull her team to a tie by cleaning up missed shot after missed shot. Her size and effort galvanized her team, resetting the game with well over seven minutes remaining.

Enter: Courtney Williams.

C-Will, who had been effective all night, continued to remind us that she is the Mid-Range Queen. She canned back-to-back long jumpers to regain a Lynx lead, forcing Sky Head Coach, Teresa Weatherspoon, to call for time. Target Center was rocking as Williams played to the crowd. Cardoso, who scored a career-high 22 points, kept fighting, but it looked like Williams always had the answer. She drilled two more 20-foot jumpshots, extending the Minnesota lead to nine with just 2:31 left on the clock. Chicago pushed back one last team, responding with an impressive 6-0 run and making it a one possession game with 1:23 left to go. Take one guess who would answer?

That would be Williams’ season-high in field goals made, with 11 and tying her season-high with 22 points. Collier would steal the next Sky possession before offensive rebounding her own miss, effectively ending the game without another point exchanged. It wasn’t a flawless performance, but at the end of the day, Minnesota never trailed and got back in the win column. They’re currently 0.5 games back from the second seed and just 3.0 games back from first.

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Up Next

Minnesota gets four full days of rest before they hit the road again to visit Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever on Friday, 9/6 at 6:30 PM CT. Unless the two teams matchup in the postseason, it will be the Lynx last look at the soon-to-be Rookie of the Year.