In a game of big runs, Lynx outlast Dallas 88-75

It says something about how far these young Lynx have come when they are able to shake off the 10 worst minutes imaginable almost like it was nothing.

The final Friday was 88-75 over the Dallas Wings in a game with amazing momentum swings. It was the sixth time the Lynx (13-5) have rallied from down double figures to win this season.

Their third win in a row moved them into a tie for third place with Los Angeles after the Sparks lost to Seattle 90-89. The first-place Storm is Minnesota's next opponent on Sunday

The Lynx beat Dallas for the 14th time in the past 15 games — to stay two games behind Seattle — with stiff defense, dominant rebounding and an offense that kept humming except for 10 or so minutes.

"We were up double figures, then went down double figures,'' Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve said. "Sometimes it's who you're playing, meaning it's a kind of style of play. … But, my goodness, it was maybe the worst basketball we've played of the season.''

She was talking about a 10-minute, 21-second stretch that began right after Lexie Brown scored with 3:06 left in the first quarter to put the Lynx up 13.

It ended when Arike Ogunbowale scored on a layup with 2:45 left in the first half to put Dallas up 44-29.

Moments later Crystal Dangerfield hit a three-pointer. And from there, it was all Lynx.

Minnesota ended the half on a 12-5 run. Then the Lynx started the third quarter on fire, pushing that run to 34-10 when Napheesa Collier scored with 4:02 left in the third quarter to put the Lynx up 11.

Please explain.

"We really just weren't doing what we needed to on defense,'' said Collier, who had 18 points and 14 rebounds. "We knew this game would be a lot of one-on-one, show help, and we weren't getting that done. So going into the half, we picked it up a little bit, closed that gap, and really kind of got back to what we were doing in those first five minutes.''

Allisha Gray scored 26 points for Dallas, on 9-for-15 shooting. The rest of the team was 18-for-49. Ogunbowale, the league's leading scorer, had 14 points but shot 4-for-15.

Besides Dantas and Collier, four other Lynx scored in double figures, too. Odyssey Sims scored 16 points in 16 minutes on 5-for-6 shooting. Dangerfield had 15 points and five assists. Rachel Banham was a perfect 4-for-4, scoring 11. Bridget Carleton had 11 points, six boards, four assists.

"What I loved was the balance,'' Reeve said. "Six players in double figures, and we needed it. You can't just keep throwing it to the same person and letting them double-team and not get much out of it. Our offense is good when we make the easy play.''

Except for 10 or so minutes, just about everything about the Lynx on Friday was good.

"When we're good, we're really good,'' Collier said.