Minnesota Lynx rookie Olivia Miles delivered the best scoring performance of her new WNBA career Saturday night, nearly helping the Lynx overcome a double-digit deficit before losing 100-97 to the Las Vegas Aces.
Miles finished with a career-high 29 points, including 12 in the fourth quarter, as Minnesota’s eight-game winning streak came to an end.
“I know my team thrives when I’m aggressive, going downhill, feel like I got a slow start, so I kind of had to find that energy,” Miles said after the game, as reported by Cassidy Hettesheimer of The Minnesota Star Tribune. “Once I saw a few go in, it helped me, being fearless, not caring if I go get blocked or anything like that, just doing what I can for my team.”
Miles went scoreless in the first quarter but found her rhythm as the game progressed. She helped Minnesota erase a 15-point first-half deficit and delivered several key plays late in the fourth quarter.
With 48 seconds remaining, Miles drove to the basket against reigning MVP A’ja Wilson, drew a foul and completed a three-point play to give Minnesota a 94-93 lead. Later, she knocked down her third 3-pointer of the game to put the Lynx ahead 97-96 with 24.5 seconds left.
Las Vegas responded, however, with Jewell Loyd converting three free throws after being fouled on a 3-point attempt. Wilson and Chelsea Gray then sealed the win from the free-throw line. The Aces became the first team this season to reach 100 points against Minnesota, surpassing the 91 points Atlanta scored in the season opener.
Miles had one final opportunity to tie the game but missed a 3-pointer with seven seconds remaining. Courtney Williams also missed a last-second attempt as the Lynx fell to 10-3.
“It was a good competition, kind of beating myself up for the turnovers, felt like a lot of them were unforced,” Miles said. “Definitely going to take this one and learn from it, take the good with the bad. It’s not always as bad as you think it is, and it’s not always as good as you think it is.”
Minnesota will look to bounce back Monday when it hosts Portland.
Information from The Associated Press contributed to this article.
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