As the seconds ticked away with the Lynx looking to put away the Connecticut Sun, Kayla McBride drove along the baseline and kicked the ball out to Dorka Juhász.
Setting her feet outside the arc — in just her second game back from injury — Juhász found nothing but net with 7.1 seconds left, scoring the final points in an 86-80 win Wednesday at Connecticut.
Juhász’s shot finished off a milestone win for Minnesota coach Cheryl Reeve, who established a WNBA record with 380 regular-season victories, surpassing longtime Connecticut and Washington coach Mike Thibault.
“I set out to just try to take it day by day and win games. What I feel is an overwhelming sense of feeling blessed for all the people that let me be me, believed in what we were doing and found a way to be successful no matter what,” Reeve said.
That includes players in the locker room, who, per an Instagram post, were urging on their dancing coach, who was holding a celebratory beverage in one hand.
It’s that camaraderie Reeve has built in her Lynx career that has been such an asset, winning with players and staff “that will give anything for the team to be successful.”
Kayla McBride, who led Minnesota (16-6) with 23 points, is in her sixth season with the Lynx after seven seasons elsewhere.
“Cheryl changed the trajectory of my career. So, to be here watching her become the all-time winningest coach in the W is really cool, it’s surreal, and I’m just so happy and grateful for who she is on and off the court and with (what) this franchise has meant to me. And it starts with her,” McBride said. “There’s a standard of excellence.”
As for the game, Minnesota’s Natasha Howard had 12 points and 10 rebounds, and Courtney Williams, starting at point guard for the second straight game in place of injured Olivia Miles (strained right calf), also had 12 points to go with seven assists.
Antonia Delaere #8 of the Minnesota Lynx drives to the basket against the Connecticut Sun in the second quarter at Mohegan Sun Arena on July 8, 2026 in Uncasville, Connecticut. (Photo by Sean D. Elliot/Getty Images)
But in crunch time, it was Minnesota’s bench that made the difference.
Juhász also finished with a dozen points — all on 3-pointers — to go with six rebounds, and Antonia Delaere added 10 points, including a pair of late triples. Ola Kosu grabbed a couple late offensive rebounds that led to points and Eliska Hamzova had three assists and two rebounds in 8:24 of action.
“I just had to get back to the rhythm a little bit. The whole game I had Courtney in my ear saying you got to take those shots,” Juhász said. “It’s nice to have teammates that believe in you.”
Last in the league in points from non-starters at 15.9 points per game entering the game, 22 of Minnesota’s 26 fourth-quarter points came from bench players. The group also held the Sun to just 15 points in the final 10 minutes.
A game that had 13 lead changes and was tied 10 times, saw the Lynx down 67-63 early in the fourth quarter before five players scored in a 13-3 run capped by 3-pointers from Delaere and Juhász.
“We were kind of searching for the right combination. We needed them,” Reeve said. “I think they sort of recognized the moment. Toni, we’ve been working on for a while to be assertive and she was just that. … Dorka rising to the occasion when she’s still trying to figure things out and getting back.”
In a game where Minnesota was far from its best, Reeve is proud the Lynx found the confidence to win on the road and to do it with players who’ve been needing to have games like this.
“Without them we don’t win the game,” she said.
Less than an hour before tip, Connecticut (5-17) announced Brittney Griner would miss the game with a left quad strain. The 6-foot-9 center scored a season-high 29 points in Monday’s 90-89 win at Target Center.