MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. (Sept. 1, 2025) — The Dallas Wings hung around for a half, but a vintage shooting display from the Minnesota Lynx turned a tight game into a rout. Minnesota shot a blistering 55% from the field and 58% from three and pulled away in the second half to beat Dallas 96–71 Monday night at Target Center.
Rookie guard Paige Bueckers paced the Wings with 17 points, adding a rebound and two assists. With the performance, Bueckers climbed to No. 6 on the WNBA’s all-time rookie points list and sits just one point behind Cappie Pondexter for fifth (624). Maddy Siegrist, Amy Okonkwo, and Diamond Miller each added 12 points for Dallas, which fell to 9–32. Minnesota improved to 32–8, led by Napheesa Collier’s 25 points and a commanding 25-point, 10-assist double-double from Natisha Hiedeman.
First quarter: Dallas lands first punches
With depth tested again, Dallas unveiled a new starting five — Grace Berger, Bueckers, Siegrist, Okonkwo (making her first career start) and Myisha Hines-Allen — and opened with a four-point burst. Minnesota answered with an 11–3 run and briefly led by five before the Wings steadied. Siegrist set the tone, scoring eight points (2-of-3 from deep), while Okonkwo added five points and two rebounds, helping Dallas win the glass 10–9 and the paint 10–8. Collier’s 11 first-quarter points nudged the Lynx to a 25–21 edge after one.
Second quarter: Lynx find separation from deep
Dallas stayed within a possession until Courtney Williams splashed a corner three to ignite a 16–6 Minnesota run. Triples from Williams, Hiedeman and Collier stretched the margin to double digits before Bueckers trimmed it back to single figures at the horn. The Wings still controlled the interior (first-half paint points 16–4, second-chance 4–0), but Minnesota’s perimeter answered everything: the Lynx went 8-of-14 from three (57%) before halftime to lead 48–41. Bueckers posted seven in the period; Siegrist and Okonkwo reached 10 apiece by intermission.
Third quarter: Hiedeman turns the screws
Any Dallas momentum after the break met Hiedeman’s heater. The Lynx guard drilled two threes and piled up 10 points in the quarter as Minnesota hit 60% from deep, pushing its make total to 11 threes through three. Collier added seven more to reach 25 by the end of the frame. Dallas shot a respectable 42% in the quarter, with Bueckers (6) and Miller (4) keeping the Wings within reach, but 0-for-? from three (scorebook: no makes) undercut the surge. Minnesota carried a 71–59 cushion to the fourth.
Fourth quarter: Lynx close with a barrage
Minnesota closed the third on a burst and never looked back. A run that swelled to 19–7 and then 23–8 put the game out of reach as the Lynx shot 63% from the floor and 60% from three in the final stanza, tacking on three more triples to finish with 14 for the night. Jessica Shepard supplied the finishing touches with eight points and three rebounds in the quarter (4-of-5 FG). Christyn Williams led Dallas off the bench with five in the fourth, but the Wings’ legs faded — 11 points on 23.8% shooting in the period told the story.
By the numbers
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Shooting: Dallas 39% FG, 20% 3PT, 70% FT; Minnesota 55% FG, 58% 3PT, 75% FT.
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Paint/Boards: Dallas edged the paint 38–36 and second-chance 12–5, but Minnesota won the glass 32–27.
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Leaders: Dallas — Bueckers 17; Hines-Allen 8 rebounds; Berger 4 assists. Minnesota — Collier 25 points; Shepard 8 rebounds; Hiedeman 10 assists (25 points).
Okonkwo’s promotion to the starting lineup continued her efficient run, and Siegrist’s steady scoring stretch rolled on. But Minnesota’s spacing and shot-making — spearheaded by Collier’s star turn and Hiedeman’s orchestration — overwhelmed a Dallas team still stitching rotations together amid injuries and hardship contracts.
What’s next
The Wings head west for their final road swing of 2025, opening at the Golden State Valkyries on Thursday, Sept. 4 (9 p.m. CT) before visiting the Los Angeles Sparks. Thursday’s game airs locally in Dallas–Fort Worth on KFAA29 and nationally on NBA TV.
