Napheesa Collier made a go-ahead 18-footer with 1:24 left on the way to 24 points, and the top-seeded Minnesota Lynx rallied from a 17-point, third-quarter deficit to beat the Golden State Valkyries 75-74 on Wednesday night and move on in the WNBA playoffs.
Collier shot 10 for 16 and followed up her 20-point performance in Game 1 with a 14-point second half to bring her team back — and give the Lynx another chance to keep chasing that championship they just missed last year.
Heading into the fourth-quarter, Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve had a simple message for her team.
"I asked them not to quit," she said. "I asked them to keep what we were doing, get after it, and they believed. Phee and KMac (McBride) were terrific, navigating the 4th quarter for us."
Reeve said the resiliance of her team was on full display despite a really difficult road environment.
"You go home and try to play game 3 and try to win that one," added Reeve. "I'm thankful that we didn't just slide into that, especially when things weren't going very well for us."
The Valkyries had one final chance with four seconds remaining following a shot-clock violation, and Cecilia Zandalasini couldn't convert a jumper.
Kayla McBride made a go-ahead scoop shot for Minnesota with 2:48 to go after DiJonai Carrington connected on a 3-pointer from the left corner with 3:18 remaining to pull Minnesota within 70-69. McBride wound up with 18 points
Veronica Burton had 13 points, nine assists, six rebounds and four steals as the expansion Valkyries nearly extended their special season. Monique Billings scored 15 points off the bench.
Carrington banked in a 3-pointer with 8:30 left that got the Lynx within 63-56 and McBride's jumper made it a five-point game at the 7:19 mark before Golden State called timeout. The Valkyries immediately committed a shot-clock violation and McBride scored again.
"It was a gritty gritty win," Collier said after the game. "This is a good team. They play really hard. We were down what, like 17 at one point, so I was, I said this in the locker room, just so proud of our effort. The heart that we had where we're in the situation on the road in such a tough environment, down 17, it feels like they're making everything. And to come back and get stops and make hard buckets and do all that, I think it shows the grit and the resilience that this team has. And what we've been talking about for two years. So I was really proud of us today."
The Valkyries, cheered by their raucous sellout crowd of 18,543, were in control for much of the game — unlike their 101-72 Game 1 defeat Sunday.
Billings rebounded her own miss just before the third-quarter buzzer, scored and converted a three-point play to put Golden State ahead 63-49 going into the final 10 minutes. But Minnesota kept creeping back.
After the final buzzer, fans chanted “GSV!” to celebrate a season in which Golden State made WNBA history by becoming the first expansion franchise to reach the playoffs in its inaugural season.
And the Valkyries were unfazed playing in an unfamiliar venue for their first postseason home game. That “Valhalla” home-court advantage had to relocate nearly 50 miles south to the NHL San Jose Sharks’ SAP Center because the Laver Cup tennis showcase had booked Chase Center before Golden State had even been granted an expansion team.
Reeve recognized how difficult the environment was after the game, and said the Lynx never took the Valkyries lightly despite them being an 8-seed and an expansion team.
"Obviously it's a good team. Like I said, they were a game away from being in 6th place," said Minnesota's head coach. "And at no point in time did we think that this was gonna be a two-game series. At no point in time. So I'm super proud of us to come here, the craziness, you know, that Valhalla is. You know, credit to them, shout out to the fans. It's exactly what the team needs, but we found a way. I'm proud of us."
Warriors guard Brandin Podziemski was one of the biggest supporters, sitting courtside with owner Joe Lacob and Warriors President Brandon Schneider.
Golden State lost all four regular-season meetings, three by double figures, so this one will both sting and show these women how close they are. Starting center Temi Fagbenle was a late scratch Wednesday because of right knee pain.
Valkyries coach Natalie Nakase was recognized before the game as WNBA Coach of the Year and Burton the league's most improved player.
Next Up:
The Lynx will face the winner of New York vs. Phoenix. That series is currently tied 1-1.
Game 1 of the semifinals will take place on Sunday, Sept. 21 at Target Center and tickets for Round 2 of the Lynx playoffs will go on sale Thursday, Sept. 18, at 12:00 p.m. at lynxbasketball.com/playoffs or by calling 612-673-8400.
The best-of-five semifinals series will begin Sunday, Sept. 21, with the Lynx hosting Games 1, 2, and 5 at Target Center in Minneapolis. Game times will be announced at a later date.
SCHEDULE:
Game 1 - Sunday, 9/21/25 (Target Center)
Game 2 - Tuesday, 9/23/25 (Target Center)
Game 3 - Friday, 9/26/25 (New York or Phoenix)
Game 4* - Sunday, 9/28/25 (New York or Phoenix)
Game 5* - Tuesday, 9/30/25 (Target Center)
*If necessary