Rookie - by name only - Olivia Miles had 24 points, seven rebounds and six assists, Kayla McBride added 22 points, and the Minnesota Lynx used a big first half to cruise past the Dallas Wings 100-76 on Tuesday night for their eighth straight victory.
Natasha Howard scored 21 points and Courtney Williams added 16 for Minnesota (10-2), which became the first WNBA team to reach 10 wins this season. McBride made four of Minnesota's seven 3-pointers.
Miles continues to play well beyond her title of "rookie," dominating the game with her scoring, passing, and control of the game. It was the sixth-straight game with 15+ points and 5+ assists for Miles, tying Caitlin Clark for the second-longest streak by a rookie in WNBA history. She is also the WNBA Rookie of the Month for May, and the reigning Western Conference Player of the Week as the accolades continue to pile up in just her first month in the WNBA.
"I think we just want the best shot possible," Miles said after the game. "Obviously Cheryl coaches us in that regard as well, but I think we're really good at finding the hot hand, like finding who's cooking. Courtney got cooking early and we kept hitting her in running place for her, then Tash gets a few inside, and then that opens up Max. So, really playing off our defense and then swinging it around."
Hopkins, Minnesota-native Paige Bueckers led Dallas (7-4) with 23 points. Arike Ogunbowale added 16 points, and Jessica Shepard had 12 points and nine rebounds.
Azzi Fudd, the No. 1 pick in the WNBA draft, one spot ahead of Miles who was picked second by the Lynx, finished with six points on 2-of-12 shooting.
Four of Minnesota’s starters reached double-figure scoring by halftime. Howard and Miles each had 14 points, and McBride and Williams each added 12 to help the Lynx lead 58-38.
Minnesota made 23 of 32 (72%) field goals in the first half, including 6 of 8 3-pointers.
The Lynx led 75-60 entering the fourth, with 71 points coming from their starters. Williams made a basket with 30.7 seconds left to put Minnesota at the 100-point mark for the third time this season.
The teams combined to make 26 straight free throws before a miss with 56.8 seconds left in the fourth.
Not to be overlooked is the defense the Lynx are playing. Dallas came into the game with the WNBA's top offense, but the Lynx held the Wings to just 29-of-77 (37.7%) from the floor. Minnesota has held opponents to under 40% from the floor seven times this season.
Up next
Minnesota plays at Las Vegas on Saturday.
