Minnesota Lynx pushed to decisive game 5

Jason Burke | Oct 7, 2024

Oct 1, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Connecticut Sun forward Alyssa Thomas (25) shoots as Minnesota Lynx forward Alanna Smith (8) defends during the second half of game two of the 2024 WNBA Semi-finals at Target Center. Mandatory Credit: Matt Krohn-Imagn Images / Matt Krohn-Imagn Images

The Minnesota Lynx came into Sunday's game against the Connecticut Sun leading the series 2-1 with a chance to clinch a spot in the WNBA Finals, but they dropped Game 4, 92-82, forcing a Game 5 on Tuesday night in Minnesota.

The Lynx had been up 50-43 at the half, but Connecticut came out hot in the third quarter, outscoring Minnesota 25-13, taking a five-point lead into the fourth, and they would only add to the difference as the clock wound down, outscoring the Lynx 24-19 in the final quarter.

Former Stanford Cardinal Alanna Smith played 27:55 in this one, finishing with a plus-minus of -5, though everyone on the Lynx finished with either zero, or in the red. Smith went 2-of-3 from three and finished with nine points, three defensive rebounds, and two blocked shots. That kind of a line is what helped earn her a spot on the WNBA All Defensive Second Team.

Two years ago I wasn’t in the league… grateful for this opportunity with this team 💚 https://t.co/XqNz0bOCzu

— Alanna Smith (@AlannaSmith96) September 29, 2024

With the loss, the Lynx will be fighting to keep their season alive on Tuesday against the Sun. The winner of the contest will end up facing the New York Liberty, who defeated the two-time reigning champions, the Las Vegas Aces, in four games.

Should the Lynx advance, that would make it so that the top two seeds in the WNBA would be playing each other in the Finals, with New York holding the top seed after a 32-8 campaign, and Minnesota placing second after a 30-10 year. The Sun placed third during the regular season at 28-12.

So far this series, the Sun won Game 1, 73-70, in Minnesota, but the Lynx stormed back in Game 2 with a 77-70 victory. They followed that up with a win on the road as well, beating Connecticut 90-81 in Game 3 on Friday before falling in Game 4. Game 5 will be at 5 p.m. PDT and can be seen on ESPN2.