Natasha Howard had 18 points to lead seven players in double-figure scoring for the Minnesota Lynx in a 107-74 victory over the Portland Fire on Monday, fueled by 26 points off 22 turnovers.
Nia Coffey contributed 15 points, five rebounds, three steals and three blocks in her best all-around performance of her debut season with her hometown team as the Lynx (11-3) roared back from their loss at Las Vegas on Saturday.
Coffey sank all three of her 3-point tries in a 35-point first quarter that matched the team's season high in any frame, and the Lynx built a 27-point lead by the middle of the third quarter.
Minnesota improved to 5-1 in the round-robin schedule for the WNBA Commissioner's Cup, but Las Vegas needed only to beat Dallas on Monday or Phoenix on Wednesday to secure the Western Conference spot. New York clinched the Eastern Conference's berth on June 14, with the championship game set for June 30.
The first trip to Minnesota for the WNBA’s latest expansion franchise — the rebooted Fire entered the league this year along with the Toronto Tempo — meant a reunion at Target Center for forward Bridget Carleton.
Carleton, the first pick in the expansion draft who spent the previous seven seasons with the Lynx, was honored during a break in the action along with Fire assistant coach Sylvia Fowles, who won two championships and the 2017 WNBA MVP award in Minnesota.
Carleton's return was a rough one. She missed eight of nine shots from the floor and finished with just three points and a minus-31 rating in 26 minutes for the Fire (7-9).
Portland hosts Seattle and Minnesota plays at Los Angeles on Wednesday, the last night of scheduled Commissioner's Cup games.
