Napheesa Collier leads Lynx past Sun, secures WNBA Finals ticket

Oct. 9 (UPI) -- Napheesa Collier was a deft dancer, using expert footwork to parry foes while sinking shots from all over the court to lead the Minnesota Lynx past the Connecticut Sun and into the 2024 WNBA Finals.

The Lynx forward scored a game-high 27 points in the 88-77 triumph in Game 5 of the semifinal series Tuesday in Minneapolis. Collier and the Lynx will now meet the New York Liberty in the title series.

"The job's not done," Collier told reporters. "We want to continue on."

Collier made 10 of 16 shots and chipped in 11 rebounds, four assists and four blocks. Lynx guard Courtney Williams added 24 points, seven assists and five rebounds in the victory.

The Lynx outshot the Sun 49.3% to 38.5%. They also held an edge of 40-26 in points in the paint and led by as many as 24 points.

"I can't tell you how badly our staff wanted this for them," Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve said. "This group has really been a special group."

The Sun opened the game on a 7-2 run, but the Lynx responded with a 12-2 surge and never trailed again. Lynx guard Kayla McBride scored 10 points in the first quarter. The Lynx outscored the Sun 53-34 in the first half. The Sun edged the Lynx 14-12 in the third quarter and 29-23 in the fourth, but could not close the deficit.

Sun star forward Alyssa Thomas made just 2 of 6 shots and scored seven points in the loss. Veteran guard DiJonai Carrington led the Sun with 17 points.

The Liberty will host the Lynx in Game 1 of the WNBA Finals at 8 p.m. EDT Thursday in Brooklyn. Game 2 will be Sunday in Brooklyn. The series will air on ESPN and ABC.