PHOENIX – Kayla McBride found a two-game trip to the desert to her liking. And her teammates didn't seem to mind, either.
McBride made her first seven shot attempts and scored 21 of her 24 points in the first half as the Lynx beat the Phoenix Mercury for the second time in four days, 99-68 Saturday night for their fourth consecutive victory.
"Kayla is such a competitor," coach Cheryl Reeve said. "I think the up-and-down nature of her season so far has bothered her. But she shows up every day, working, working, working."
It wasn't just McBride's offense that pleased Reeve. "Her defense on [Diana] Taurasi was really, really good," Reeve said. "As much as everyone likes seeing the ball going into the hole, I thought her defensive effort was incredibly valuable to our team."
The Lynx, who shot 55.1% from the floor compared to 32.8% for the Mercury, were one point away from tying the franchise record for largest margin of victory on the road. They won 110-78 at Atlanta on June 10, 2016.
In Wednesday's 82-76 victory at Phoenix, McBride scored a season-high 26 points, including 11 in a critical third quarter. This time, she scored 14 points in the second quarter, when the Lynx made five of their seven three-point attempts and outscored the Mercury 37-23 — tying the franchise record for points in a quarter.
McBride was 8-for-9 from the floor, 3-for-4 from three-point range and 2-for-2 from the free-throw line in the first half. She scored only three points in the second half, but they came on a three-pointer in the third quarter that gave the Lynx a 32-point lead at 77-49, paving the way for a fairly relaxing fourth quarter for Reeve.
"Just keep grinding," McBride said. "Nights like these, you understand why you have to go through the process and why you have to go through the journey.
"Things are kind of coming together. I'm so thankful for this group. This whole organization has been nothing but a blessing for me."
The Lynx outscored the Mercury 20-10 in the third quarter, with Layshia Clarendon leading the way. Clarendon, signed to a contract for the rest of the season on Friday, finished with 17 points on 8-for-9 shooting to go with seven rebounds and four assists.
"I can't say enough about what Lay has meant to this team," said Reeve, noting the Lynx are 9-3 since Clarendon joined.
Napheesa Collier added 19 points on 6-for-7 shooting, with six rebounds and six assists. Damiris Dantas had 14 points, seven rebounds and four assists. Sylvia Fowles had only six points on 3-for-10 shooting but added 10 rebounds and three blocks.
Skylar Diggins-Smith had 12 points to lead Phoenix and Taurasi had 11, but on 2-for-9 shooting. Brittney Griner, who was 10-for-10 in the first half against the Lynx on her way to scoring 28 points Wednesday, scored only six points on 1-for-5 shooting.
"We're really finding who we are as a team and settling into that, and it feels really good," Collier said.
