Lynx stay unbeaten with second-half surge to down Valkyries
Natisha Hiedeman scored all eight of her points in two second-half runs, Napheesa Collier returned from a night off with a game-high 24 points and the Minnesota Lynx surged past the host Golden State Valkyries 86-75 on Sunday night in San Francisco.
Returning from a sore knee, Collier completed her third consecutive double-double with a season-high-tying 11 rebounds, and Courtney Williams added 20 points for Minnesota, which remained unbeaten through seven games.
Veronica Burton had a team-high 21 points and Kate Martin a career-high 14 for Golden State, which led by one at halftime and retained a 56-53 advantage after Kayla Thornton's interior hoop in the third minute of the third period.
But the Lynx, who made the WNBA finals last season, took charge from there, starting with a 14-2 burst that featured 3-pointers from Hiedeman, Williams and Bridget Carleton.
Attempting to avoid a third consecutive loss, the Valkyries hung within 68-60 through quarter's end, before Hiedeman had two hoops one that she turned into a three-point play and Collier added a basket in a 7-0 flurry to open the fourth period that broke the game open at 75-60.
Williams also found time for five rebounds and a team-high five assists. Her three 3-pointers in seven attempts helped Minnesota outscore the hosts 33-27 from beyond the arc despite taking eight fewer attempts.
Kayla McBride chipped in with 16 points and six rebounds, while Carleton had 12 points for the Lynx, who completed a two-game Western sweep after dispatching the Phoenix Mercury on Friday without Collier.
The Lynx and Valkyries were meeting for the first time.
Thornton finished with 11 points and a team-high seven rebounds for Golden State, which had played the defending-champion New York Liberty on the road in its two previous games.
Julie Vanloo dished off a team-high four assists and swiped two steals for the Valkyries, an expansion team that has sold out all three of its home games at the spacious Chase Center, home of the Golden State Warriors.
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