Minnesota Lynx fans welcomed back star forward Napheesa Collier in the team’s 100-93 win against the Toronto Tempo.
Cheers rang out in Target Center for over 10 seconds when Collier was announced as a starter. She was back on her home court Tuesday after an ankle injury and double ankle surgery caused her to miss the first half of the season. She hasn’t been on the home court since September.
Collier's season debut was an away game on Wednesday. Minnesota beat Seattle 86-76, and Collier led scoring with 24 points and added 10 rebounds.
Since 2019, when the Lynx drafted Collier, she has won fans' hearts. She took a season off to have a baby, created a 3-on-3 league and continued to be a champion for the collective bargaining agreement. Last season, she ended as only the second in league history to finish a regular season with a 50-40-90 shooting split.
Her leadership has resonated with fans, who showed up in homemade signs and shirts on Tuesday night.
Attendance was over 12,000, with fans sporting every version of Collier gear: number 24 jerseys from every year of her career, cartoon designs of her nickname "Queen Phee," new Nike Rebel Edition uniforms and the All-Star jersey from last season.
“Oh, I mean, she should have been MVP last year,” Plymouth’s Ishabor Makvandi said. Dressed up like Olivia Miles, his loyalty lies with both of the stars.
He thought this year’s starting lineup was “stacked” even without Collier. Having her skill on the bench was a real gift, but not only for her playing.
“She is like the epitome of like a role model for this state, in my opinion. She’s very socially conscious,” he said. “For her to be back in her first home game, it's like we're pretty pumped. We're pretty excited to have her receive our welcome, whatnot. It's like she is the Lynx.”
Olivia Miles scores 24 points as Lynx extend win streak to 8 with 100-93 victory over Tempo
Rookie Olivia Miles scored 24 points and the Minnesota Lynx extended their winning streak to eight games with a 100-93 victory over the Toronto Tempo on Tuesday night.
Miles shot 9 for 17 with four 3-pointers for Minnesota (23-6), which owns the best record in the WNBA. She added eight assists and six rebounds.
Kayla McBride scored 18 with four 3-pointers for the Lynx, who were 14 for 25 (56 percent) from distance. Napheesa Collier had 15 points and Natasha Howard scored 13. Reserve Antonia Delaere scored 12 on 4-for-5 shooting from distance.
Marina Mabrey had 25 points, eight rebounds and six assists for Toronto (10-17), which has lost four straight and eight of its last nine. Maria Conde finished with 20 points and 10 rebounds, and Laura Juskaite scored 18.
Miles made a layup to give the Lynx an 89-75 lead with 6:32 left to play. Juskaite and Kia Nurse hit back-to-back 3-pointers to end a 12-0 run and cut the deficit to two over the next 2:22. Delaere answered with two straight 3-pointers to increase the lead to 95-87 as Minnesota recovered.
Miles had 15 points by halftime, McBride scored 13 and the Lynx took a 53-43 lead into the break after trailing 28-25 to start the second quarter.
The teams square off again on Thursday in Toronto.
Collected from Minnesota Public Radio News. View original source here.
Minnesota Public Radio (MPR) is a public radio network for the US state of Minnesota. With its three services, MPR News, YourClassical MPR and The Current, MPR operates a 46-station regional radio network in the upper Midwest.
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