Kayla McBride scored 24 points Wednesday in a win over the New York Liberty. The sharpshooting Minnesota Lynx guard matched that total in the first half Saturday in Las Vegas.
During a 67-point Minnesota first half, McBride tied a WNBA record with eight made 3s.
The five-time WNBA All-Star didn't miss from beyond the arc in the opening two quarters, and three of long-range splashes took place in the span of 53 seconds late in the second frame.
That sequence saw McBride come off a screen and drain a 30-foot triple, a shot that would have probably been good for four points in this year's All-Star Game. Immediately after that, she stole a pass from three-time league MVP A'ja Wilson, dribble down the court and hit a 27-foot 3, that one over the outstretched arm of the 6-foot-4 Wilson. McBride finished the trifecta of 3s with a 29-footer, making the Aces pay from way downtown after Las Vegas was late on its defensive rotation.
Fellow Lynx and All-Star guard Courtney Williams kept Minnesota's foot on the gas with a late-shot-clock triple. As a result, the Lynx clocked out of the first half 13-of-14 from 3-point land.
Minnesota entered the break with a 67-33 lead.
MVP frontrunner Napheesa Collier — the Lynx's third All-Star this season who came into the day averaging a league-high 23.8 points per game — had only 4 points in the opening half.
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