Lynx beat the Valkyries 72-53 to set a franchise record with 34 regular-season wins
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Natisha Hiedeman scored 21 points, Napheesa Collier had 19 and the Minnesota Lynx beat the Golden State Valkyries 72-53 on Thursday night to set a franchise record with 34 wins.
Minnesota (34-10) had already cliched home-court advantage in the playoffs, locking up the No. 1 seed with a win over Connecticut last week. The Lynx tied the 2023 Las Vegas Aces for the most regular-season wins in WNBA history.
Golden State (23-21) dropped to the No. 8 seed in the playoffs and will play Minnesota again on Sunday to begin a best-of-three series.
Collier finished the regular season shooting 53% from the field, 40.3% from 3-point range and 91% from the free-throw line to join Elena Delle Donne (in 2019) as the only players in WNBA history to have a 50/40/90 season.
Jessica Shepard had 11 points and 14 rebounds for Minnesota. DiJonai Carrington (shoulder) missed her fourth straight game.
Iliana Rupert, Veronica Burton, Kaila Charles and Cecilia Zandalasini each scored eight points to lead Golden State.
Minnesota led 17-8 after the first quarter as Golden State was just 4 of 18 (22.2%) from the field, including 0 for 7 behind the arc. The Lynx held a 34-22 advantage at halftime behind 12 points from Collier.
The Valkyries missed their first 17 3-pointers before Rupert made one on back-to-back possession to cut Minnesota’s lead to 45-41 with 1:28 left in the third.
Minnesota opened the fourth on a 12-0 run to extend its lead to 59-41 after Hiedeman’s fast-break layup. Hiedeman scored nine points in the opening three minutes of the fourth.
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