Courtney Williams scored 30 and Olivia Miles added 19 points and nine assists as the Minnesota Lynx routed the Phoenix Mercury 111-77 on Monday night.
Courtney Williams scored 30 points on 13-of-20 shooting, Olivia Miles added 19 points and nine assists, and the Minnesota Lynx beat the Phoenix Mercury 111-77 on Monday night before a sellout crowd of 9,234.
Minnesota took control immediately and never let up, doing it without three players, including All-Star forward Napheesa Collier, who sat out with a left ankle injury.
The Lynx led 35-22 after the first quarter, opened the second on an 11-4 run and scored 67 points by halftime. It was the third-most points in any half of a road game in WNBA history. Williams made eight of her 10 first-half shots for 19 points as Minnesota shot 75% from the field before the break, hitting 27 of 36, to build a 67-40 lead.
Miles had 13 points and five assists at the half, and Natasha Howard added 11 points on 5-of-6 shooting. The Lynx led 88-56 after three quarters.
Antonia Delaere scored 13 points off the bench and added six assists, and Anastasiia Olairi Kosu had 12 points and six rebounds for Minnesota (7-2). Howard finished with 11. Maya Caldwell and Teaira McCowan chipped in five and six points off the bench, and McCowan was called for a technical foul late in the fourth quarter.
The ball moved all night. Minnesota assisted on 28 of its 44 field goals and turned the ball over just 13 times.
Miles has scored in double figures in all nine games to start the season, tying the longest such streak by a rookie in franchise history, shared with Seimone Augustus and Tonya Edwards.
Minnesota finished at 63.8% from the field, made 10 of 17 from 3-point range and went a perfect 13 for 13 at the free-throw line. The Lynx dominated inside, scoring 50 points in the paint to Phoenix's 18, and outscored the Mercury 19-8 on second-chance points and 14-4 on the break. Minnesota led by as many as 37.
Kahleah Copper led Phoenix (2-8) with 18 points but shot 5 of 13. Noemie Brochant added 11 and Monique Akoa Makani 10. Natasha Mack grabbed 11 rebounds, and Alyssa Thomas had six points and five assists.
The Mercury made 23 of 27 at the free-throw line but shot just 22 of 64 (34%) from the floor. Phoenix has lost five in a row and seven of its last eight.
The Mercury were also shorthanded, playing without Sami Whitcomb because of a left knee issue.
Minnesota starts a three-game home stretch on Thursday against the Valkyries. Phoenix opens a four-game trip at Seattle on Wednesday.
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