Nia Coffey Took Over Down the Stretch and Minnesota's First Win Is Starting to Look Like a Pattern

The Minnesota Lynx finally got in the win column on Tuesday night, and it came down to clutch buckets when it mattered most. Nia Coffey scored eight of her 13 points in the fourth quarter as Minnesota beat the Phoenix Mercury 88-84 in a game that came down to the final possessions.

This was huge for the Lynx after dropping their opener 91-90 to Atlanta on Saturday. Now sitting at 1-1, Minnesota showed they can grind out close games on the road. Phoenix, meanwhile, fell to 1-2 despite routing Las Vegas 96-66 on the road last Saturday. The Mercury's home opener turned into a gut punch.

Six Scorers, All Doing Damage

What made the Lynx win special wasn't one player carrying the load. It was balanced scoring across the board. Kayla McBride and Natasha Howard each dropped 14. Coffey and Olivia Miles added 13 apiece. Courtney Williams and reserve Emma Cechova chipped in 11 points each. Howard pulled down 11 boards and Coffey grabbed 10, with both recording double-doubles.

Phoenix's Kahleah Copper was unstoppable for stretches, leading all scorers with 30 points on 9-of-21 shooting, including 2 of 7 from deep. She was money at the line, going 10 of 13. DeWanna Bonner added 16. But the Mercury couldn't get anyone else to sustain anything, and that's where Minnesota's depth advantage showed up.

A Slugfest That Went Right Down to the Wire

This game was tight from start to finish. Fifteen ties. Seventeen lead changes. The largest lead anyone could muster in the second half was just five points. Phoenix held the biggest lead of the entire game at 29-21 late in the second quarter, but led just 45-41 at halftime.

The finish was wild. Copper drilled a 3-pointer with 4:39 left to put Phoenix up 81-77. But then she missed her next jumper and never got back on track when it counted. Coffey's clutch 3-pointer with 27 seconds left pushed Minnesota ahead 87-83. Bonner missed a 3-pointer for Phoenix, and after Miles made one of two free throws, Thomas made one of two with seven seconds left to cap the scoring at 88-84.

The Lynx proved they can win games on the road when every possession matters. Minnesota looks to build on this.

This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.