Kayla McBride scored 19 points to lead five Minnesota players in double figures, and the visiting Lynx knocked off the Connecticut Sun 87-83 on Sunday afternoon in Uncasville, Conn.
Lindsay Allen put up 16 points and Aerial Powers provided 14 off the bench for the Lynx (13-13), who beat two of the top three teams in the WNBA — the New York Liberty and the Sun — on the road in a three-day span.
The Sun (18-7), who had won six of seven entering Sunday, had a late comeback fall short despite DeWanna Bonner’s 31 points and Alyssa Thomas’ fourth triple-double of the season. Thomas finished with 17 points, 14 rebounds and 11 assists to extend her WNBA record for career triple-doubles to six.
The Sun trailed by eight early in the fourth quarter, but Thomas’ reverse layup cut Connecticut’s deficit to 78-75 with 4:16 to play.
Thomas picked up her 10th assist when she hit a cutting DiJonai Carrington (11 points) for a layup that made it just 80-79 with 1:22 to go. The Lynx immediately responded with McBride’s layup, but Thomas got a hook shot to fall to make it 82-81.
McBride made a corner 3-pointer, but it was disallowed upon review because of an illegal screen that took out the Connecticut defender nearest to the play.
But the Sun missed a layup on the ensuing possession and the Lynx managed to pull away with free throws. Dorka Juhasz — a UConn product — blocked Bonner’s go-ahead 3-point try in the final seconds.
Minnesota out-shot Connecticut 57.4 percent to 38.9 percent from the field. McBride went 7-for-10 with four 3-pointers, Allen went 6-for-8 and Powers had a 6-for-6 first half before finishing 6-for-8.
Jessica Shepard added a double-double off the bench, with 12 points and 14 rebounds, and Juhasz scored 11 points.
Bonner scored 12 points in the first quarter alone, but the Lynx held a 23-21 lead. They went on an 11-1 run late in the second quarter that McBride punctuated with two 3-pointers 44 seconds apart, moving ahead 44-38.
It was 48-44 Lynx at halftime and Minnesota opened up a nine-point lead in the third quarter, but the Sun’s Natisha Hiedeman heaved in a triple at the buzzer that was changed to a 2-pointer, then back to a 3 to trim Minnesota’s lead to 68-62.
The Lynx played without leading scorer Napheesa Collier (ankle), Rachel Banham (thumb) and Emily Engstler (shoulder).
The teams will square off again Tuesday at Connecticut to conclude the season series.
–Field Level Media