The Lynx made plenty of mistakes late in the fourth quarter and overtime Tuesday night: not inbounding the ball in five seconds for a turnover, fouling players shooting three-pointers, missing key free throws, etc.
But several Minnesota players took turns carrying the team and that sustained effort was enough. The Lynx edged Washington 96-94 in overtime at Target Center before an announced crowd of 7,171.
Rookie guard Renee Montgomery, who usually provides a spark for the Lynx off the bench, was a flamethrower.
She scored a season-high 21 points, including all of her team's points in a 10-2 Lynx run late in the fourth quarter. It began with the Mystics ahead by six, and ended with a three-point play the old-fashioned way which put the Lynx ahead 78-76.
Montgomery scored most of her points on a play the coaches put in this week. It starts with Candice Wiggins setting a screen on the right side and Montgomery driving to the basket.
"[Coach Jen Gillom] just decided to call it," Montgomery said. "It just worked, so they said keep running it until they stop it. I didn't real catch fire. I was just shooting layups."
After each one, an appreciative teammate or two came over to help Montgomery off the floor. She was being knocked down each time. Three times in the game, she made a layup and a free throw.
"They were trying to make sure I wasn't making the layups," Montgomery said, "but they were grabbing my left arm and I was shooting with the right.
