WNBA: Lynx blitz Sky in third quarter to trigger rout

Nia Coffey had 20 points and eight rebounds and Natasha Howard scored 14 as they triggered a third-quarter surge that sparked the visiting Minnesota Lynx to a 79-58 victory over the Chicago Sky on Friday night.

Olivia Miles added 17 points and six assists, Courtney Williams scored 10 points and Coffey went 6-for-9 from 3-point range to offset her teammates making just 2 of 19 from beyond the arc. The Lynx (6-2) won their fourth consecutive game, which includes an 85-75 victory in Chicago six days earlier.

Kamilla Cardoso had 12 points and 13 rebounds and Skylar Diggins scored 14 points to lead the Sky (3-5), who made just 5 of 30 3-point attempts and finished 0-4 on their homestand.

Howard scored the first six points of the third quarter and Coffey added consecutive 3-pointers as Minnesota opened a 45-30 lead. Diggins made a jumper for Chicago's first points of the half, but Coffey made another 3-pointer in the middle of a 7-0 run that pushed the lead to 20 points.

The Sky got as close as 10 points before Miles had four points and Kayla McBride had two free throws during an 8-0 run that gave the Lynx a 64-46 lead at the end of the third quarter.

Chicago crept within 69-58 on two Cardoso free throws with 3:39 remaining, but Minnesota scored the last 10 points.

At the outset, the lead changed hands three times and the score was tied three times before a 3-pointer by Coffey, a layup by Miles and a 3-pointer by Maya Caldwell gave the Lynx an eight-point lead. Natasha Cloud's free throw ended that 8-0 run, as well as a three-minute scoring drought, as the Sky trimmed the lead to 19-12 at the end of the first quarter.

Minnesota scored the first four points of the second quarter and led by 11 points a second time before consecutive layups by Aicha Coulibaly and Diggins pulled Chicago within 27-20.

Howard's layup ended a nearly four-minute scoring drought for the Lynx and extended their lead to 29-20. Cloud and Rachel Banham made consecutive 3-pointers to help the Sky close within 33-30 at halftime.

-Field Level Media/Reuters