Natisha Hiedeman continues to play her best basketball of the season at the right time.
Coming off the bench, Hiedeman tied a career-high with 24 points, including a career-high-tying six 3-pointers, leading the Lynx to a 78-72 win Saturday at Golden State.
Nine of those points came in a 16-0 third quarter run that turned a seven-point deficit into a 61-52 lead heading to the fourth, quieting the packed house in San Francisco’s Chase Center.
Hiedeman is 21 for 33 from the field for 66 points in her past three games. She had 20 points Monday against Dallas and 22 Thursday in Las Vegas.
Hiedeman, who also had a team-high three steals, made a pair of free throws for a 74-69 lead with 55.2 seconds left. She finished 6 of 7 from the stripe; the Lynx were 14 of 16 as a team.
After a 3-point play by Veronica Burton got the Valkyries within two, Napheesa Collier got a friendly roll on a turnaround jumper for a four-point lead. Kayla McBride added two free throws with 18.4 seconds left after a Golden State turnover.
Collier scored 20 points and Courtney Williams added 14. Not showing up on the score sheet is the way Williams began to pick up the pace in the third quarter, helping set the tone.
Spot starter Jessica Shepard had 12 points and 13 rebounds. She took the place of center Alanna Smith, who has made a strong case to be named to the league’s first team All-Defensive Team, and is the latest starter to get a game off for rest purposes.
Shepard, so strong near the hoop at both ends, scored five points in a 10-0 Lynx run late in the third quarter for a 55-52 lead. That included a putback of a Collier miss.
Minnesota made 11 baskets in the third quarter, equaling its first half total when it shot just 31.4% and trailed 36-31, one point above their season-low for first-half points.
Guard DiJonai Carrington missed her second straight game with a subluxed left shoulder.
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