Courtney Williams scored 15 of her team-leading 17 points in the second half to lead the Lynx to a 77-70 win over Connecticut on Wednesday night.
Courtney Williams is no stranger to Connecticut Sun fans who watched the speedy 5-foot-8 guard from South Florida help the Sun twice advance to the WNBA finals.
On Tuesday night, Williams helped the Minnesota Lynx tie up their WNBA semifinal with the Sun by scoring 15 of her team-leading 17 points as the Lynx beat the Sun, 77-70 in a physical contest at the Target Center.
The win, which snapped Connecticut’s seven-game winning streak at the Target Center, tied the best-of-5 series at 1-1 with game three on Friday at 7:30 p.m. at the Mohegan Sun Arena and game 4 on Sunday in Uncasville.
At one point, Williams scored nine straight points for the Lynx to help build a 14-point lead late in the third quarter. The Sun cut the lead to seven with 2:47 remaining in the game but Williams hit a jumper from the corner to push the lead back to nine with 2:24 remaining.
The Sun held Napheesa Collier, who averaged 30 points a game in the Lynx’s sweep of Phoenix in the first round, to just nine points but her teammates picked up the slack with Alanna Smith scoring 15 and Kayla McBride adding 11. Collier did pull down a game-high 12 rebounds and dished out five assists.
Alyssa Thomas, despite being double-teamed in the lane throughout most of the game, led the Sun with 18 points and 10 rebounds while DeWanna Bonner added 17 points with five steals. Marina Mabrey scored 15 points but found little free space as a Lynx defender followed her throughout the game.
“We had an aggression about us that was necessary when you play these guys,” Minnesota coach Cheryl Reeves said.
“We had to match their energy,” Williams said. We had to give it back to them. That’s playoff basketball.”
The Sun cut the lead to seven when Thomas scored in the lane after a nice feed from Bonner with 4:03 left in the third quarter.
Williams hit a pair of foul shots and after Carrington flattened Bridget Carleton on the way to the basket and a layup, Williams responded with a pullup jumper. After a turnover by Thomas, Williams made the Sun pay with a three-point shot off an assist from Collier to extend the lead to 12 points, 54-42.
After Sun timeout, Williams added a pair of free throws for a 14-point lead, 56-42.
“I was a lot more aggressive,” Williams said about her second half performance. “(In the first half, I was passing and looking to facilitate. I had to turn it up.”
It was a rough quarter of basketball in the first quarter with the two teams combining to sink just eight of 35 field goals. Minnesota had a 12-10 lead after one thanks to Collier’s shot over Thomas at the buzzer.
The two teams hit more shots in the second quarter. The Sun cut the Minnesota lead to two, 26-24 when Mabrey scored in the lane with 4:33 remaining in the first half.
But McBride, who played with intensity on both sides of the ball, drove to the basket and was fouled. She sank two foul shots and on the ensuing Connecticut possession, she got a steal and drove to the basket and an easy layup and a six-point lead, 30-24.
Myisha Hines-Allen scored over Connecticut’s Olivia Nelson-Ododa, who was in excellent defensive position, with a basket at the buzzer to give the Lynx a 36-30 lead at halftime.
The Lynx got off to a quick start in the third quarter with a jumper from Collier and three-point shot from Smith to extend their lead to 11 points, 41-30. A McBride drive to the basket extended the lead to 13 points.
“Minnesota was the aggressor tonight. They were aggressive on the defensive end they were physical,” Sun coach Stephanie White said. “They wouldn’t let us get into our offense. They responded to every run that we had and had an answer.”
“It’s the playoffs,” said Bonner, who has played in more WNBA playoff games than anyone in league history. “It will be physical with some dicey moments. It is win or go home. Emotions are high but it is just two competitive teams going at it.”
Minnesota 77, Connecticut 70
At Minnesota
Connecticut (70) Bonner 5-15 4-4 17, Thomas 7-14 4-5 18, Jones 1-3 0-0 2, Carrington 5-13 4-5 14, Mabrey 4-14 5-6 15, Burton 0-2 0-0 0, Harris 0-1 0-0, 0, Nelson-Ododa 2-4 0-0 4. Totals 24-65 17-20
Minnesota (77) Carleton 3-5 2-2 9, Collier 3-4 2-2 9, Smith 6-8 0-0 15, McBride 4-10, 2-2 11, Williams 6-13 4-4 17, Hiedeman 2-4 0-0 4, Zandalasini 1-2 2-2 5, Hines-Allen 3-6 1-2 7. Totals 28-62 13-14.
Three-point goals: Connecticut 5-20 (Bonner 3-7, Thomas 0-1, Carrington 0-3, Mabrey 2-8, Harris 0-1). Minnesota 8-19 (Carleton 1-3, Collier 1-4, Smith 3-4, McBride 1-4, Williams 1-1, Hiedeman 0-1, Zandalasini 1-2). Attendance: 8,796 (sellout)
WNBA semifinals
(3) Connecticut at (2) Minnesota
Sunday, Sept. 29
Connecticut 73, Minnesota 70
Tuesday, Oct. 1
Minnesota 77, Connecticut 70, series tied 1-1
Friday, Oct. 4
Minnesota at Connecticut, 7:30 p.m., ESPN2
Sunday, Oct. 6
Minnesota at Connecticut, TBA
Tuesday, Oct. 8
Connecticut at Minnesota, TBA, if necessary, ESPN2
