Phoenix Mercury vs Minnesota Lynx: Player stats and box scores for Sep. 25 | Game 2 WNBA Playoffs

By Michael Macasero

Modified Sep 26, 2024 08:43 GMT

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The Phoenix Mercury took another shot at the Minnesota Lynx on Wednesday after nearly rallying to win Game 1 on the road. Phoenix gave Minnesota a big scare by erasing a 23-point deficit before the Lynx emphatically responded for a 102-95 victory. Diana Taurasi, Brittney Griner, Natasha Cloud and Kahleah Copper lead Phoenix again in the rematch.

Phoenix had a good start but could not hold on to the lead for long. Once Napheesa Collier got going, there was no stopping the MVP runner-up. Collier's 19 first-half points dragged the Lynx to a 49-47 lead.

Collier's blistering form continued the rest of the way. A dominating 27-17 third quarter gave Minnesota a 76-64 cushion before the fourth quarter.

Brittney Griner showed up big time in the final frame but the Lynx were just better on both ends of the court. Minnesota snuffed out every rally attempt to win the game 101-88 and complete a 2-0 sweep of Phoenix. Napheesa Collier finished with a new career-best 42 points to lead the Lynx.

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Phoenix Mercury vs Minnesota Lynx player stats and box scores

Phoenix Mercury player stats and box scores

Player	PTS	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	FG	3-PT FG	FT	+/-
B. Griner	24	5	0	0	2	3	10-15	1-2	3-4	-13
D. Taurasi	10	4	3	1	0	4	3-10	2-8	2-2	-8
N. Cloud	16	5	10	1	0	1	5-12	2-5	4-4	-6
K. Copper	13	5	2	0	0	5	5-12	2-6	1-2	-15
S. Cunningham	5	5	6	1	1	1	2-5	1-4	0-0	-8
M. Billings	6	3	1	0	0	0	3-3	0-0	0-1	-8
M. Herbert Hannigan	0	0	0	0	0	0	0-0	0-0	0-0	+4
N. Mack	12	2	0	0	0	0	6-9	0-0	0-1	-5
A. Atwell	0	0	0	0	0	0	0-0	0-0	0-0	+4
C. Taylor	3	2	3	0	0	0	1-2	0-1	0-0	-10
R. Allen	DNP	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
C. Osborne	DNP	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-

Minnesota Lynx player stats and box scores

Player	PTS	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	FG	3-PT FG	FT	+/-
B. Carleton	12	4	4	1	0	0	3-4	3-4	3-4	+14
A. Smith	12	5	3	4	0	2	5-9	1-4	1-1	+9
N. Collier	42	5	4	1	2	2	14-20	2-3	12-14	+17
K. McBride	15	2	4	0	0	1	6-14	3-9	0-0	+11
C. Williams	11	2	6	0	0	1	4-11	1-3	2-2	-3
M. Hines-Allen	1	3	0	0	0	0	0-2	0-0	1-2	+8
C. Zandalisini	0	1	0	0	0	0	0-3	0-2	0-0	+2
D. Juhasz	0	1	0	0	0	0	0-0	0-0	0-0	-4
D. Miller	0	0	0	0	0	0	0-0	0-0	0-0	-4
A. Pili	0	0	0	0	0	1	0-0	0-0	0-0	-4
N. Hiedeman	8	2	7	0	0	0	2-4	0-1	4-4	+23
O. Epoupa	0	0	0	0	0	0	0-0	0-0	0-0	-4

Phoenix Mercury vs Minnesota Lynx: Game summary

Unlike in the season opener, the Minnesota Lynx could not roar out of the gate. The Phoenix Mercury's defense and crisp execution on offense had the host team stuttering. Natasha Cloud sustained her impressive Game 1 showing with nine first-quarter points. Diana Taurasi added seven points as the Mercury took a 25-21 lead after 10 minutes.

The Lynx regrouped behind Napheesa Collier to turn the tables on Phoenix at the start of the second quarter. Phoenix, despite having the 6-foot-9 Griner in the middle, could hardly slow down Collier. The Lynx franchise cornerstone already had 19 first-half points after erupting for 38 in Game 1.

Minnesota's defense also bared its teeth to slow down the visitors. The Lynx grabbed a 49-47 lead before the halftime break.

The Napheesa Collier show continued in the third quarter. She added 12 more points to her total to become the first player in WNBA history with back-to-back 30-point games to start the playoffs. Minnesota padded its lead to 76-64 leading into the final frame.

Brittney Griner and Natasha Cloud carried Phoenix in offense but their teammates struggled. Diana Taurasi could only add three points after finishing with seven in the first quarter. Kahleah Copper's guns have been silenced for most of the night.

Griner dumped 11 of her 24 points in the fourth quarter but it wasn't enough to get the Mercury over the line. Collier answered her point for point, ending with a new career-high of 42 points. Both teams emptied their benches in the last minute as the Lynx cruised to a 101-88 victory.