ROSEMONT, Ill. (Interstat) — Natasha Howard scored 26 points and grabbed 14 rebounds to lead the Minnesota Lynx past the Chicago Sky 85-75 on Saturday at Allstate Arena before 7,030. Howard added five assists for Minnesota, which improved to 4-2. Courtney Williams contributed 17 points and eight rebounds, Olivia Miles had 14 points and nine rebounds and Kayla McBride added 13 points for the Lynx. Kamilla Cardoso scored 17 points with seven rebounds for Chicago, which fell to 3-3. Skylar Diggins added 13 points and six assists. The Lynx jumped to a 52-38 halftime lead behind 28 points in the second quarter and never trailed. Minnesota shot 32 of 74 from the floor and made 17 of 21 free throws. Chicago shot 23 of 73 and hit 23 of 30 foul shots. The Lynx held a 43-31 rebounding advantage and blocked seven shots. Minnesota committed 19 turnovers while the Sky had 11.

ROSEMONT, Ill. (Interstat) — Natasha Howard scored 26 points and grabbed 14 rebounds to lead the Minnesota Lynx to an 85-75 victory over the Chicago Sky on Saturday at Allstate Arena before an announced crowd of 7,030. The Lynx improved to 4-2, while the Sky fell to 3-3. Minnesota seized control in the second quarter, outscoring Chicago 28-16 to take a 52-38 halftime lead. The Lynx never trailed after the opening minutes, capitalizing on a balanced attack and a defense that forced 19 Chicago turnovers. Howard, a forward, played 33 minutes and added five assists. She made 12 of 19 field-goal attempts and two of three free throws. The performance came on the heels of a 13-point, six-rebound outing against Toronto four days earlier and marked her second double-double in the past three games. Courtney Williams, a guard from Folkston, Georgia, contributed 17 points, eight rebounds, three assists and two blocks in 33 minutes. She shot 7 of 17 from the floor and made all three free-throw attempts. Olivia Miles, a guard from Phillipsburg, New Jersey, recorded 14 points, nine rebounds and five assists in 33 minutes. She connected on 4 of 13 field goals and 5 of 6 free throws. Kayla McBride scored 13 points with six rebounds and four assists in 35 minutes. She shot 4 of 11 overall, including 2 of 7 from three-point range, and made all three free throws. Nia Coffey, a forward from Saint Paul, Minnesota, added eight points, seven rebounds and two blocks in 25 minutes. Maya Caldwell, a guard from Charlotte, North Carolina, had two points, three rebounds and two assists in 13 minutes. Liatu King, a forward from Washington, scored no points but collected four rebounds and three blocks in 10 minutes. The Lynx shot 32 of 74 from the floor, 4 of 16 from three-point range and 17 of 21 at the free-throw line. They grabbed 13 offensive rebounds and committed 24 personal fouls. Chicago was led by center Kamilla Cardoso, who scored 17 points and grabbed seven rebounds in 23 minutes. The 6-7 player from Brazil made 3 of 6 field goals and 11 of 12 free throws. Guard Skylar Diggins finished with 13 points, six rebounds and six assists in 32 minutes. She shot 4 of 12 from the field and 5 of 7 at the line. Guard Gabriela Jaquez, from Camarillo, California, scored seven points with four rebounds in 23 minutes. The Sky shot 23 of 73 from the field, 6 of 29 from three-point range and 23 of 30 at the free-throw line. They collected seven offensive rebounds and committed 11 turnovers. Minnesota’s defense was particularly disruptive in the second quarter, holding Chicago to 16 points on 4-of-17 shooting. The Lynx also recorded seven blocks and seven steals for the game. The game’s decisive stretch came midway through the second period. With the Lynx leading 24-22 after the first quarter, Minnesota opened the second on a 10-2 run. Howard scored six points during that spurt, including a driving layup and a turnaround jumper. Williams added a pullup jumper and a free throw. Chicago trimmed the deficit to 38-32 on a Skylar Diggins layup with 5:19 left in the half, but Minnesota answered with a 10-0 run. Howard scored five more points, Miles added four and Williams chipped in a fadeaway jump shot. By the time Courtney Williams made a free throw with 2:13 left, the Lynx led 48-32. The Sky never got closer than 10 points in the second half. Minnesota led 68-58 entering the fourth quarter. Chicago cut the margin to 70-63 on a Kamilla Cardoso layup with 4:43 remaining, but Kayla McBride answered with a three-pointer from the top of the key with 5:49 left, pushing the lead back to 73-63. McBride hit another three-pointer with 5:49 remaining, and Howard’s two free throws with 5:14 left made it 78-65. The Sky got no closer than eight points the rest of the way. Chicago’s offensive rating was 82.2 points per 100 possessions, while Minnesota posted an offensive rating of 94.5. The Lynx generated 85 points from 90 possessions, while the Sky managed 75 points from 91 possessions. Minnesota’s shooting efficiency was aided by 17 offensive rebounds, which led to 19 second-chance points. Chicago, by contrast, had only seven offensive rebounds. The Sky’s bench outscored Minnesota’s reserves 20-10, but the Lynx starting five combined for 70 points. The game was the second meeting between the teams this season. Chicago had defeated Minnesota 86-79 on May 17 in Minneapolis. Minnesota next hosts Atlanta on Tuesday, while Chicago hosts Toronto the same night. Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of Chicago Sky 95, Minnesota Lynx 85. Interstat’s ELO system had projected Minnesota with a 78.30 percent probability to win. Minnesota was installed as a pregame favorite with a spread of minus 2.5 points. The total score of 85 went over the over-under line of 165.5.

ROSEMONT, Ill. (Interstat) — The Chicago Sky host the Minnesota Lynx on Saturday in a WNBA matchup at Allstate Arena, with both teams looking to build momentum early in the season. Chicago (3-2) enters after a 99-89 loss to Dallas on Wednesday, but the Sky previously defeated Minnesota 86-79 on May 17. Kamilla Cardoso leads the Sky’s frontcourt; the center posted 24 points and 11 rebounds against Dallas and had 11 points, 12 rebounds and three blocks in the earlier win over Minnesota. Minnesota (2-2) is coming off that 86-79 loss to Chicago. Guard Kayla McBride played 40 minutes in that game, scoring 20 points with seven rebounds and a block. She has averaged 16.3 points over her last four outings, including a 20-point, seven-rebound effort against Atlanta on May 9. The Sky will rely on guard play from Natasha Cloud (21 points, eight rebounds vs. Dallas) and Skylar Diggins. For the Lynx, forward Natasha Howard contributed 17 points, nine rebounds and seven assists in the May 17 meeting. Interstat’s game simulator projects a 95-85 Sky victory. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. CDT.