Banham Leads Lynx to a Win in Regular Season Finale

The Minnesota Lynx completed a season sweep of the Indiana Fever and ended a three-game slump to close out the regular season on Saturday night.

The two teams stayed close through the first half of the game. Indiana outscored Minnesota 24-23 in the first. The Lynx turned it around and outscored the Fever 26-24 in the second quarter to take a 49-48 lead at the break.

In the third quarter, Minnesota extended their one-point lead to nine, outscoring Indiana 23-15. The Fever rallied in the fourth but were not able to catch the Lynx who won it 98-86.

Rachel Banham led Minnesota with a career-high 29 points and a career-high seven three-pointers as well as ten assists. The Lakeville native and University of Minnesota grad was drafted by the Connecticut Sun in 2016 and traded to the Lynx ahead of the 2020 season. Napheesa Collier added 23 points and eight rebounds. Damiris Dantas added 15 points, Odyssey Sims 12, and Shenise Johnson 10.

The Lynx end the regular season 14-8 with the fourth seed and first-round bye secured in the playoffs. They will face either the Phoenix Mercury, the Dallas Wings, or the Washington Mystics in a single-elimination game on Thursday.

The second-round game could also mark the return of Sylvia Fowles who has been battling a calf injury for much of the season.