Lynx shock Sun 87-83 for second straight big road upset with Collier injured

Almost everybody in Connecticut's Mohegan Sun Arena knew who was going to have the ball in the closing seconds of this tight game between the Lynx and the Sun.

Dorka Juhász did, too.

So, during a timeout with Minnesota up two and 11.7 seconds left, Lynx rookie Juhász asked for the assignment on DeWanna Bonner.

"I said, 'I got it,' " Juhász said.

So: The Sun inbounded the ball and it got to Bonner, who had already scored 31 points and had, at times, made things tough on Juhász.

With the clock winding down, on the perimeter, Bonner put up a three. Fully extended, the 6-5 Juhász got her hand on it. Block.

Win.

In her first WNBA game back in the state where she played collegiately for UConn, Juhász didn't go for any fake, making Bonner earn it. Then she denied it.

And that was only one of the feel-good stories here.

The Lynx evened their record at 13-13, with this victory coming on the heels of Friday's at New York. They have won 13 of 20 games since their 0-6 start to the season and have moved up to sixth place in the league standings.

"I'm happy for them," Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve said. "The way they came out, getting stops, getting rebounds. It's one thing to talk about it, another to do it."

Five Lynx players scored in double figures. Juhász had 11 points, six rebounds, two assists and that one huge block. Kayla McBride had another strong game, scoring 19 points on 7-for-10 shooting, making four of seven three-pointers. In her past two games she has hit 18 of 24 shots, including eight of 15 threes, and scored 55 points.

Alyssa Thomas had a 17-point, 14-rebound, 11-assist triple double for the Sun.

Most impressive? The Lynx won despite being outscored 24-11 on free throws, 11-3 on second-chance points and 18-10 on points off turnovers.

The reasons: The Sun (18-7), which started the day tied for second in the WNBA with New York, were held to 38.9% shooting. And the Lynx shot 57.4%, the best shooting percentage by a Connecticut opponent this season.

"A lot of times, when a team loses its best player, it's like they feel like it's anyone's turn now," Reeve said. "People step up."

So many did, in a game that was close throughout, with 14 lead changes and 12 ties. The Lynx led by just four at the half despite shooting 63.3% and by six entering the fourth. The Sun, who play host to the Lynx again Tuesday, pulled within one three times in the final 88 seconds, on Dijonai Carrington's jumper with 1:22 left, when Thomas scored with 55.6 seconds left and on Bonner's layup with 12.6 seconds left.

With 41.4 seconds remaining, a McBride three-pointer was wiped away by Allen's offensive foul. But the Lynx got a stop, Shepard got the rebound and Allen made two free throws with 19.5 left. After Bonner scored, McBride was fouled and made one of two free throws for a two-point lead, leading to that final timeout.

Reeve said there was some discussion about who should guard Bonner. Juhász ended it.

"As a rookie you want your coach to put that trust in you," said Juhász, who delivered in a sort of homecoming. "Bonner had an amazing game. She got me a couple times. It was great for me to be able to affect her shot."