WASHINGTON (AP) — Olivia Miles scored 24 points Natasha Howard added 21 points on 10-of-12 shooting and the Minnesota Lynx beat the Washington Mystics 94-84 on Friday night for their sixth straight win.
The Lynx (31-7) have won 16 of 17 have a 4 1/2-game lead on second-place Golden State in the WNBA standings.
Washington (21-15) fell into seventh, a half-game behind New York.
Howard finished with seven rebounds, five assists and three blocks. Kayla McBride scored 18 points and Courtney Williams had 13 points, eight assists and six rebounds for Minnesota. Williams fell to the floor in the closing seconds and left the game due to an apparent lower-body injury. Napheesa Collier (rest) did not play.
Kiki Iriafen had 19 points and 13 rebounds for the Mystics. Shakira Austin added 17 points and eight rebounds and Michaela Onyenwere scored 14.
McBride hit back-to-back 3s, the second of which banked in from the left wing and gave the Lynx a 92-82 lead with 1:20 remaining.
A 9-0 run gave the Mystics a 76-75 lead with about eight minutes to go. Howard answered with a pullup jumper, Miles followed with a 3 and Minnesota led the rest of the way.
Up next
Lynx: Host Golden State on Monday.
Mystics: Visit Portland on Sunday to kickoff a six-game road trip.
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