From there, both teams traded buckets until the Lynx’s defense — which recorded 10 points off seven turnovers in the second quarter — shifted momentum.
McBride’s steal and pull-up jumper midway through the second quarter gave Minnesota its first lead since the opening quarter. She and Collier then fueled a 13-5 run to close the half with a 47-38 advantage.
Collier pointed to the Lynx’s ball pressure as the key to their success.
“It’s so good when we’re up on the ball,” she said, “disrupting the play, making them catch it out farther than they want to, making sure the posts are under duress. … That’s something that we’ve been working on, obviously, all season. It feels like we’re finally starting to click on it on all cylinders.”
The Lynx opened the third quarter with an 11-0 run, highlighted by back-to-back threes from Smith and McBride, three free throws from Williams and a Collier layup.
The Sky called a timeout down 20 with 7:18 left in the third, but that did little to stop the Lynx. Chicago never got closer than 18 points for the rest of the game.