MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Olivia Miles scored a career-high 28 points and set a WNBA rookie record with eight 3-pointers, and the Minnesota Lynx held off the Golden State Valkyries 87-84 on Thursday night for their sixth straight victory.
Miles was 8 of 11 from 3-point range to surpass Caitlin Clark and Crystal Robinson, who shared the previous rookie mark with seven. The No. 2 overall draft pick made her fifth straight 3 with 6:24 remaining in the first
half to reach 17 points, while the rest of her teammates had just 14. She also made her first two 3s of the third quarter.
Minnesota (8-2) improved to 7-0 all-time against Golden State, which joined the league last an expansion team last season.
The Lynx trailed 75-70 with seven minutes remaining before scoring the next 11 points.
After Golden State pulled within 86-84 with 33.8 seconds left, Courtney Williams dribbled down the clock before finding Miles, who attempted a driving layup that rolled off the rim. But the Lynx grabbed the offensive rebound and Williams went 1 of 2 at the foul line for a three-point lead with 5.4 seconds left.
An inadvertent whistle led to a jump ball that Golden State forward Cecilia Zandalasini secured with 3.8 seconds left. After a timeout, Zandalasini did not hit the rim on a contested 3-pointer at the buzzer.
Williams finished with 17 points, Kayla McBride added 14 and Natasha Howard had 12 points and 10 rebounds for Minnesota. The Lynx went 13 of 26 from distance.
Zandalasini led Golden State (6-4) with 18 points. Janelle Salaun had five 3-pointers and 17 points, and Tiffany Hayes added 15.
Golden State: At Las Vegas on Saturday.
Minnesota: Continues a three-game homestand on Saturday against Seattle.
___
AP WNBA: https://apnews.com/hub/wnba-basketball
