The Minnesota Lynx need to lock in.<\/p>\n
The top seed in the WNBA playoffs will feel as if they should be heading to Phoenix with a 2-0 series lead in their best-of-five semifinal matchup against the Mercury. But after letting a 20-point lead slip away in Game 2 on Tuesday night, this series is tied, 1-1 — and the Mercury have the next two games at home. Win both, and Phoenix will reach the WNBA Finals for the first time in four years.<\/p>\n
MORE:\u00a0Napheesa Collier reveals reasons behind Lynx’s shocking collapse against Mercury<\/a><\/p>\n However, the same could be said for the Lynx, who came agonizingly close to a record fifth WNBA championship in 2024 and want to correct the wrongs of last-season’s five-game loss to the New York Liberty.<\/p>\n Perhaps that is why Lynx guards Natisha Hiedeman and Courtney Williams — better known as the “Studbudz” — are going dark for the remainder of the postseason, as their joint Instagram account revealed Thursday.<\/p>\n “Studbudz are very locked in for playoffs!!!” read a caption placed over a picture of Hiedeman and Williams. “We will be returning to stream upon further notice!!”<\/p>\n Studbudz are locking in for the playoffs \ud83d\ude24<\/p>\n via stud.budz pic.twitter.com\/Byh3GiQD0b<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Just Women\u2019s Sports (@justwsports) September 25, 2025<\/a> <\/p>\n Fans on social media were quick to point the finger at Lynx head coach Cheryl Reeve, the WNBA’s longest-tenured and winningest active coach, for the Studbudz’s decision to hit “pause” on their near-daily Twitch streams — which took the league by storm this season.<\/p>\n Hiedeman and Williams’ remarkable camaraderie and irreverent takes on life in the WNBA garnered them a wide viewing audience — punctuated by their decision to dye their hair pink and embark on a non-stop, 72-hour live stream during All-Star weekend in Indianapolis. They now boast more than 80,000 subscribers on Twitch<\/a>.<\/p>\n Only time will tell if the streaming pause will do the trick as the Lynx try to re-establish control of their series against the Mercury. Tip-off of Friday’s game is scheduled for 9:30 p.m. ET at PHX Arena.<\/p>\n MORE WNBA NEWS:<\/p>\n