When the WNBA season tipped off six weeks ago, the Minnesota Lynx were projected by many national “experts” to be a team for which success would not be easy.

The Lynx continue to prove those skeptics wrong.

With 40 percent of the season in the books, the Lynx are 13-3 and find themselves three games up in the Western Conference. On Tuesday, they won the WNBA’s in-season competition.

By beating New York 94-89 on Long Island, the Lynx took home the WNBA’s Commissioner’s Cup.

Winning players are to receive about $30,000 apiece out of a $500,000 prize pool. Plus, a $10,000 donation will be made to Gender Justice as the league makes charitable contributions to non-profit organizations aligned to the teams’ social justice work.

The game in Elmont, N.Y., does not count in the regular-season standings, so Minnesota still has officially won six straight and nine of 10, with that lone setback coming on a last-second shot in Phoenix.

Bridget Carleton was all over the court, finishing with a season-high 23 points, including a career-high six 3-pointers. Her last came with 1:51 to play to put the Lynx up 88-77. She added five assists and three steals.

Less than a minute earlier, she intercepted a pass and scored on a drive.

The Lynx scored 27 points off 21 Liberty turnovers. Minnesota turned the ball over just nine times.

New York (15-3) got within four with 35 seconds left, but Kayla McBride drained a couple of free throws on her 32nd birthday. Napheesa Collier made a pair, as well, for a six-point lead with 6.3 seconds left.

Named the game’s Most Valuable Player, Collier finished with 21 points, six rebounds and three steals. Cecilia Zandalasini scored a career-high 15 points, including a couple of Minnesota’s 14 3-pointers.

Before the game, coach Cheryl Reeve spoke about the importance of a potential statement win. It’s only the fourth year of the Commissioner’s Cup, but five of the previous six teams to participate in the game went on to reach the WNBA finals.

“We got a long, long way to go, but I certainly like where we are. And if we continue to improve and keep on this trajectory, they need to understand there’s a great chance we could be in the WNBA finals,” Reeve said. “That’s what it means if you win this game tonight. … You win the Commissioner’s Cup, and people are going to start talking about actually being real contenders to win the 2024 WNBA Championship.”

The Lynx led by 10 early in the fourth quarter, but Breanna Stewart scored nine straight points in a 66-second span, and the UBS Arena crowd was roaring.

Out of a time out, the Lynx scored 18 of the game’s next 26 points, capped by Carleton’s final three.

Related Articles

Alanna Smith, Napheesa Collier keep Lynx hot in win over Mercury

Lynx defense keys Minnesota’s fifth straight win

Lynx rally past Dallas, improve to 11-3

Collier scores 30, including late free throws as Lynx hold on to beat Sparks 81-76

McBride continues 3-point tear, Lynx dominate second half in 83-64 win over Seattle