1 year ago
28
ESPN News Services
Jul 1, 2025, 10:24 PM ET
MINNEAPOLIS -- Natasha Howard had 16 points, 12 rebounds and 4 assists connected Tuesday nighttime arsenic the Indiana Fever defeated the Minnesota Lynx 74-59 successful the WNBA Commissioner's Cup final.
The Fever were missing All-Star guard Caitlin Clark, who has been sidelined since June 24 with a strained groin. That didn't dilatory down the Fever, who overcame an aboriginal 13-point shortage with balanced scoring and a stout antiaircraft show against the squad with the champion grounds successful the league.
Indiana was a 10.5-point underdog, making this the seventh triumph this play by a double-digit underdog, and archetypal specified triumph for the Fever.
Minnesota had its worst violative show of the season, shooting 34.9% from the level and making 4-of-16 3-pointers aft averaging 9.4 3-pointers this season. The nonaccomplishment snapped the Lynx's 14 consecutive wins arsenic a double-digit favourite successful regular-season games
Sophie Cunningham scored 13 points portion Aliyah Boston, Aari McDonald and Kelsey Mitchell each scored 12 points. Howard earned unanimous MVP honors.
Alanna Smith led Minnesota with 15 points. Napheesa Collier had 12 points and 9 rebounds, and Courtney Williams added 11 points but had six of the team's 16 turnovers.
Smith deed a 3-pointer and made an acrobatic layup to headdress a 12-0 tally that gave Minnesota an 18-9 lead.
The Lynx stretched their pb to 27-14 aboriginal successful the 2nd quarter. But they were held scoreless for the last 8:17 of the half, gong 0-for-10 from the level arsenic the Fever stormed back. Cunningham deed a brace of 3s arsenic Indiana closed the 4th connected an 18-0 tally to instrumentality a 32-27 pb astatine the half.
The past clip the Lynx went 8 consecutive minutes without scoring a constituent was backmost connected Aug. 4, 2011, against the San Antonio Silver Stars.
The Fever built their pb to treble figures arsenic Howard scored 10 points successful the 3rd 4th and the Lynx ne'er got person than 7 the remainder of the way.
When Minnesota rallied to chopped their shortage to 60-51 midway done the 4th quarter, Cunningham buried her 3rd 3-pointer of the nighttime to soundlessness the assemblage and nonstop the Fever connected their way.
The Lynx bushed the New York Liberty connected the roadworthy successful past year's Commissioner's Cup final. Minnesota earned home-court vantage this twelvemonth by virtuousness of its league-best 14-2 record.
The Fever became the 5th victor successful the past of the Commissioner's Cup, which started successful 2021. They instrumentality location a $500,000 prize pool.
ESPN Research and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
