Lynx 99, Fever 88: Overpowering Third Quarter Propel Minnesota to Victory

Napheesa Collier continued her All-WNBA campaign scoring 26 points, powering the Lynx to their 25th victory.

For the third and final time this season, the Minnesota Lynx took on the likely Rookie of the Year, Caitlin Clark, and the Indiana Fever. The Fever, who started the season with a 1-8 record, have won five straight games, putting them in prime position to make the WNBA Playoffs.

Indiana came out of the game strong, quickly going up by as many as 11 points in the first quarter. Cecilia Zandalasini would stop the run by the Fever, making a shot from long-range to cut the Indiana lead to 27-19 at the end of the quarter.

As the Lynx defense continued to struggle against the Fever offense, Natisha Hiedeman continued her fantastic season in the mid-range, making this pull-up shot over Clark.

Heading toward halftime, the Lynx would continue to cut into the Fever lead. Bridget Carleton would score Minnesota’s final five points of the half including this 3-pointer which put the Indiana lead at 50-45 heading into the halftime break.

The third quarter was where the Lynx took back control of this game, outscoring the Fever 29-12 in the frame. After struggling to contain Indiana most of the game, the Lynx defense was able to contain Indiana and turn strong defensive possessions into offense. This play by Napheesa Collier, along with the subsequent ball movement on offense, is a perfect encapsulation of why this Lynx team has been so successful all season.

Minnesota would enter the fourth quarter with a 74-62 lead, but the Fever came out strong, making five of their first eight shots to cut the Lynx lead down to just one with five minutes remaining in the game. Carleton again would come up huge for the Lynx, making a three from the corner to give Minnesota some breathing room on the scoreboard.

Carleton would make two more clutch shots from long-range including the one below to put the Lynx up by 11 and stick a dagger into this game.

That shot would prove to be more than enough as the Lynx would win the game 99-88 for their 25th victory of the season. Napheesa Collier continued her spectacular season scoring 26 points of 8 of 17 shooting while adding 10 rebounds, two assists, two steals, and two blocks to her outstanding stat line. Carleton came up huge for Minnesota, scoring 16 points including four makes from beyond the arc.

Caitlin Clark lead the Fever in scoring with 25 points on 8 of 21 shooting, putting up eight rebounds and eight assists, while racking up seven turnovers.

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Up Next

The Lynx continue their three-game road trip as they head to the nation’s capital for a matchup against the Washington Mystics on Sunday, September 8. This will be the fourth matchup between the two teams as the Lynx look to sweep the season series.

Tip-off is scheduled for 2:00 PM CT with fans being able to watch the game on ESPN3.