MINNEAPOLIS (Interstat) — The Minnesota Lynx will look to extend their dominance over the Phoenix Mercury on Monday night at Target Center, where the Western Conference’s top team hosts a struggling opponent in a 7 p.m. CDT tipoff. Minnesota (17-6) has won both meetings this season against Phoenix (8-16), including a 111-77 rout on June 1. The Lynx enter having won two straight, most recently defeating New York 90-85 on Saturday. Natasha Howard was instrumental in that victory, posting 16 points, nine rebounds and two assists in 36 minutes. The veteran forward has been a consistent force this season, averaging 16.8 points and 9.8 rebounds over her last four games, and her interior presence will pose a challenge for a Phoenix defense that allowed 106 points in a blowout loss to Las Vegas on Saturday. The Mercury are in the midst of a four-game losing streak, the most recent a 106-58 defeat at the hands of the Las Vegas Aces. Forward Valeriane Ayayi is a player to watch for Phoenix, though her production has waned in recent outings. After a standout June stretch that included 20 points against Toronto on June 27 and 19 points against Indiana on June 24, Ayayi has averaged just 8 points over her last three games while shooting inefficiently. She played 31 minutes against Las Vegas but managed only five points and seven rebounds. Minnesota’s offense has been firing on all cylinders, with guard Kayla McBride scoring 25 points in Saturday’s win and Olivia Miles adding 23 points and five assists. The Lynx have won eight of their last 10 games, while Phoenix has dropped seven of its last 10. Interstat’s game simulator projects a 96-79 victory for Minnesota, a result that would further widen the gap between the first-place Lynx and a Mercury team languishing near the bottom of the standings. Phoenix will need a strong bounce-back performance from Ayayi and its supporting cast to avoid a third straight loss to Minnesota. The Mercury then face Connecticut on July 17, while the Lynx host Los Angeles on July 15.