Minnesota Lynx are celebrating a historic milestone after coach Cheryl Reeve set the WNBA record for coaching wins.
Reeve officially became the winningest coach in WNBA regular season history after securing her 380th career victory this week in Connecticut.
The four-time Coach of the Year achieved the milestone in her 17th season with the franchise, building on a legacy that already includes four league championships.
Reflecting on the achievement and her time in the WNBA, Reeve showed some rare emotion, with her players gathered in the front row, and in front of gathered media.
"I found me," she said, voice cracking. "And I found my voice in the WNBA. This is incredibly special for me today here."
Following the historic victory on Wednesday, players surprised their head coach in the locker room with an impromptu confetti-filled reception.
Reeve later described the post-game scene as the best party she had ever attended, and got a good laugh out of her players trying to use some lingo that she's likely well beyond.
"That was really exciting. It was lit. I ate all the way down," Reeve said to chuckles. "It was great."
Reeve said despite the celebration on Friday, the team is already shifting its focus to Saturday where they will host the New York Liberty at Target Center. The Liberty handed the Lynx a stinging loss last week.
It'll be a national TV game, as Reeve and the Lynx look to capture win number 381 for their leader.
New York Liberty (13-9, 8-1 Eastern Conference) at Minnesota Lynx (16-6, 10-1 Western Conference)
Minneapolis; Saturday, 12 p.m.
BOTTOM LINE: New York Liberty faces the Minnesota Lynx after Breanna Stewart scored 29 points in the Liberty's 88-77 loss to the Dallas Wings.
The Lynx are 6-4 on their home court. Minnesota ranks second in the WNBA giving up 80.7 points per game while holding opponents to 40.7% shooting.
The Liberty have gone 6-4 away from home. New York ranks fifth in the WNBA with 34.5 rebounds per game led by Jonquel Jones averaging 9.1.
Minnesota makes 48.0% of its shots from the field this season, which is 4.3 percentage points higher than New York has allowed to its opponents (43.7%). New York averages 10.0 made 3-pointers per game this season, 1.5 more made shots on average than the 8.5 per game Minnesota allows.
The teams square off for the second time this season. The Liberty won the last matchup 99-86 on July 3, with Stewart scoring 36 points in the win.
TOP PERFORMERS: Olivia Miles is averaging 18.5 points and 5.7 assists for the Lynx. Kayla McBride is averaging 18.1 points over the last 10 games.
Stewart is averaging 20.5 points and 8.5 rebounds for the Liberty. Jones is averaging 2.6 made 3-pointers over the last 10 games.
LAST 10 GAMES: Lynx: 6-4, averaging 88.7 points, 34.2 rebounds, 20.9 assists, 8.9 steals and 5.3 blocks per game while shooting 45.4% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 83.8 points per game.
Liberty: 5-5, averaging 88.4 points, 32.6 rebounds, 20.5 assists, 5.8 steals and 4.8 blocks per game while shooting 47.6% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 85.8 points.
INJURIES: Lynx: Olivia Miles: day to day (calf), Emma Cechova: out for season (knee), Napheesa Collier: out (ankles).
Liberty: Rebecca Allen: day to day (nose), Leonie Fiebich: day to day (foot), Satou Sabally: day to day (concussion).
