Napheesa Collier reveals all about halftime message that sparked Lynx’s epic comeback

Napheesa Collier delivered a rallying halftime team message to inspire the Minnesota Lynx to snatch a 76-70 victory from the jaws of defeat against the Connecticut Sun on Friday. The Lynx surprisingly found themselves trailing for the majority of the game, struggling to knock down shots against the Sun's resilient defense.

They missed 13 of their first 16 shots from beyond the arc and headed to the locker room trailing 45-35 at the break. Even after the restart, they looked out of sight, desperately trying to soak up the pressure to regain control of the game.

With the Sun taking a 15-point lead with five minutes left in the game, they thought they had snatched their first win of the season. But Collier and company went on a 23-2 scoring onslaught to turn the game around.

Napheesa Collier scored seven points during the run, while Natisha Hiedeman added six, including a dagger 3-pointer that put the Lynx up by three with 31 seconds left.

Napheesa Collier revealed all during her post-game interview when she was asked what she had said to her teammates at the break.

“This is not what it looks like to be a championship team,” she said as per ESPNW.

“We started relying on our defense, we were really pressuring, had a lot of deflections and steals, just really pressuring them and just staying calm. We've always been really resilient,” Collier added. [0:56]

The four-time WNBA All-Star’s message clearly got through to her teammates, as they showed why they’re one of the favorites to lift the title this season.

---

Napheesa Collier candidly talks about playing 38 minutes and officiating

Napheesa Collier was the heart of the Minnesota Lynx’s win on Friday, at the center of most of the action and largely the reason they stayed in the game. So, playing her 38 minutes sounds reasonable given the situation.

Collier worked her way out of many sticky situations, as she does best. She’s been invaluable both defensively and offensively.

“I feel like I always just try to do what the team needs me to do,” Collier said about playing 38 minutes. “I’m never thinking that I’m tired. I just try to put it all out there for the team,” she added.

When asked about the officiating, she said:

“I actually think I need to let it go earlier.”

However, coach Cheryl Reeve took issue with a few calls that went unpunished by the referees.

“But she shouldn’t have to do that; she shouldn’t have to manage her emotions,” Reeve said. “Phee should not have to accept the level of contact she got tonight. I thought that was just egregious.” [6:28]

Cheryl Reeve's women are now unbeaten with a 4-0 start to the season, leading the Western Conference standings. The only other unbeaten team is the New York Liberty, who are 2-0 in the Eastern Conference.