Jessica Shepard had the second triple-double in team history, and the Lynx used a dominant third quarter for a 95-90 win on Friday at Indiana.

Kayla McBride tied a season high with 29 points, Natisha Hiedeman added 17 off the bench and Minnesota ended a two-game skid.

Playing all 40 minutes, Shepard finished with 22 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists, including 11 points, 10 assists and nine rebounds in the first half. She was 10 for 11 from the field and did not turn the ball over nor commit a foul.

Shepard needed just 22 minutes for her triple-double, the fastest in league history, she’s the first player to get a triple-while shooting at least 90%, and she’s the third player in league history to have at least 20 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists with no turnovers, joining Alyssa Thomas and Sabrina Ionescu.

“I was just trying to do whatever it took for our team to win coming off two losses,” she said. “If you’re going to have a triple-double, you have to win the game. I was proud of our whole team.”

Moriah Jefferson had the only other triple-double in Lynx history on June 28, 2022 with 13 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists.

Initially listed as questionable, MVP-favorite Napheesa Collier missed her seventh consecutive game with a right ankle injury. The Lynx are 5-2 in her absence.

“In terms of what the group needed, and maybe what we don’t have when we’re playing without Phee, is a paint presence, so the others needed someone to throw it into. Over the games that Phee hasn’t been in, Jess has kind of taken on spot of Phee and has done it quite well,” coach Cheryl Reeve said. “This is the epitome of Jess: good scorer, passer, rebounder. All of it was on display for us today.”

Shepard, a strong contender for the league’s Sixth Player of the Year Award, moved into the middle of the Lynx frontcourt in Collier’s absence and is averaging 11.9 points and 10 rebounds in those seven games. Yet, she could very well again be a non-starter when Collier is back.

Reeve said the bench is a Lynx strength.

“We’ll be very mindful about making sure Jess’s minutes are what they need to be and we’ll find different way to do that. Not an easy decision for sure, but Napheesa Collier is an MVP, so everyone will understand that decision has to be made.”

This is the first of three regular-season meetings between the teams, who also tip off Sunday night at Target Center. Indiana (19-17) beat Minnesota July 1 in the Commissioner’s Cup final.

Playing its third road game in four nights in three cities, the Lynx (29-7) dominated the third quarter, outscoring the Fever 32-17 to turn a two-point halftime deficit into an 82-69 lead. Getting defensive stops led to getting out in transition which led to being better identifying open opportunities and the Lynx were 13 of 15 from the field in the quarter.

“We just got the ball moving a little bit more but it all started with our defensive intensity,” McBride said.

A layup by Shepard put the Lynx up 89-76 with 4:37 left, but Aliyah Boston scored eight straight points to whittle Minnesota’s lead to five with 2:02 left.

McBride scored on a drive and Bridget Carleton drained a step back jumper with 1:03 left as the shot clock was about to expire for a 93-86 cushion.

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As expected, the Vikings sat their offensive starters in Friday’s preseason finale in Tennessee. But they also didn’t play many of their second stringers, which left Minnesota largely trotting out its third teamers versus the Titans starters at the game’s outset in Nashville.

So, there wasn’t much knowledge to be gained via the first half off on-field action. But there were a few things of note that occurred.

Here are takeaways from the first half of Minnesota’s exhibition bout (the game ended before this edition went to print):

Was there ever a battle for the QB2 job?

Friday’s lineup choices would suggest otherwise. Sam Howell has struggled throughout training camp. And while he was electric in Minnesota’s preseason opener against Houston, he was uninspiring in last week’s showing against New England.

The persistent lack of performance caused many to wonder if Howell may be unseated as Minnesota’s next-in-line behind J.J. McCarthy under center.

But the fact Howell didn’t take a snap in Friday’s first half suggests he’s firmly entrenched in the No. 2 role.

Undrafted rookie Max Brosmer, a Gophers product, got the start Friday and was solid considering the circumstances — leading a third-team offense against many of Tennessee’s defensive starters. Brosmer was poised and Minnesota’s early drives were derailed more by penalties than his play.

He eventually gave way to Brett Rypien before re-taking the reins for Minnesota’s final drive of the half, in which he led the Vikings far enough down the field where they could attempt, and miss, a lengthy field goal try.

Brosmer has been a fun focus for fans throughout camp, and he’s impressed in the preseason. It looks like he has the leg up on Rypien for the No. 3 position on the depth chart, which could earn him a spot on the roster.

Still, it looks as though, barring any moves between now and the season opener Sept. 8 in Chicago, Howell will be the backup quarterback in Minnesota, which ultimately makes sense considering his past history as a starting quarterback in Washington.

Receivers anywhere?

Van Jefferson has reportedly been in tight contention for a roster spot in Tennessee after an unimpressive camp. But the 29-year-old made a strong case to stay Friday, tallying three catches for 102 yards and a score in the first half.

The highlight of his night was a quick-out, in which Jefferson made the initial defender miss, then cut up field, hit his top gear and went 65 yards to the house for a score.

If Tennessee doesn’t want him, maybe Minnesota will.

The 29-year-old journeyman did have 50 catches for 802 yards and six scores in 2021, when he played for then-offensive coordinator Kevin O’Connell for a Rams team that won the Super Bowl. The play he made in the second quarter Friday simply hasn’t occurred for any of the pass catchers down Minnesota’s depth chart.

It’s no secret at this point that Minnesota is in the market for receiving help as Jordan Addison is set to miss the first three games of the season while serving a league suspension and Jalen Nailor is suffering from a hand injury.

On Friday, ESPN NFL insider Adam Schefter reported the Vikings have inquired about acquiring the still-productive, 35-year-old Adam Thielen from Carolina in a potential reunion. But should the Panthers choose to keep the veteran wideout, Jefferson’s play is a reminder that there are plenty of other potentially available options who could bolster a room that hasn’t produced much of note over the past month.

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CHICAGO — The Twins did not name a starter for Saturday night’s game in the hours before the first game of their series against the Chicago White Sox, but there was one 6-foot-5 hint who had a locker in the Rate Field visitor’s clubhouse.

Mick Abel, the top pitching prospect the Twins acquired at the trade deadline, traveled with the team to Chicago and is expected to make his Twins’ debut on Saturday, giving them their first look at a pitcher whom they expect to be a rotation piece in the future.

“I’m really looking forward to it,” Abel said. “It’s been nothing but good vibes here, (since) when I first got here, so I’ve been looking forward to it for a while.”

The 24-year-old, whom the Twins landed in the deal that sent closer Jhoan Duran to Philadelphia, made his major league debut earlier this year and pitched in six games for the Phillies, pitching to a 5.04 ERA across 25 major league innings.

Since switching organizations, Abel has a 1.75 ERA across three starts for Triple-A St. Paul. In his last game, he struck out 11 batters.

“I think it was definitely a shock more than anything, as much as I could have prepared for it,” Abel said of the trade. “Definitely still a shock to the system. It’s an exciting opportunity. I’m just ready whenever.”

One of the first things mentioned to him upon his arrival in the organization is that the Twins would like him to test out a sweeper. Abel had worked on the pitch with the Phillies but hadn’t really brought it out because he wasn’t yet comfortable with it. Since joining the Saints, he’s been working on it and has been pleased with the pitch.

“It was in the back pocket for the first couple bullpens here and then my first home start in St. Paul, I deployed it for the first time,” Abel said. “It was only in two-strike counts, but I’m much more comfortable with it now.”

Abel’s Twins debut provides some excitement for the future for the Twins, who are also expected to get their first look at Taj Bradley a day later. The Twins have yet to name a starter for Sunday’s series finale, but it will likely be Bradley, who was acquired for Griffin Jax at the trade deadline, and has been pitching in the Saints’ rotation alongside Abel this month.

Briefly

Pablo López needed 45 pitches to get through just 1 2/3 minor league innings on Friday, but Twins manager Rocco Baldelli said as far as he knew, “everything went well physically,” for both López and Simeon Woods Richardson, who threw 64 pitches and gave up four runs (three earned) in 3 1/3 innings pitched. It was López’s first rehab start since suffering a Grade-2 teres major strain in early June, and Woods Richardson’s second rehab outing since dealing with a parasite that he believes he got from eating seafood. … Outfielder Alan Roden underwent surgery to repair the ulnar collateral ligament in his left thumb on Friday. Roden is expected to make a full recovery and be ready for spring training 2026.

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Royce Lewis watched his sixth-inning fly ball die on the warning track on Thursday afternoon, landing in the glove of Athletics left fielder Tyler Soderstrom, and retreated back to the first-base dugout at Target Field, where he proceeded to remove his helmet and slam it.

And then, in the far corner of the dugout, he kept slamming it before letting out a yell.

“You go find a nice, private spot and you just let it fly and sometimes you feel mildly better walking away,” manager Rocco Baldelli said. “Honestly, it’s part of the game. The game can be frustrating.”

It sure has been for Lewis this season and on Thursday, the normally cheerful infielder got to a “boiling point,” which just so happened to be caught on camera.

The Twins third baseman entered the day with his numbers down across the board — his .225 batting average, .287 on-base percentage, .361 slugging percentage, .658 OPS and 77 OPS+ are all career lows — enduring what has essentially amounted to a season-long slump that began at the end of last season.

“When you’re a 9-year-old kid and you get frustrated and lost in your video game over and over again, obviously you have to keep working and figuring out,” Lewis said. “That’s what we’re doing. It’s exactly how it feels.”

The search for answers has been a constant one for Lewis, who said he hasn’t felt comfortable at the plate all year.

“It’s hard to make a full in-season adjustment because you can try that and those 30 at-bats of trial go towards your stats,” Lewis said. “I’m fighting for taking care of myself and my family. I don’t want to put any of those stats in jeopardy. But feeling like I’ve been on an island, it’s kind of tough.”

There was a stretch in which his numbers picked up and things seemed to be on the upswing for Lewis. He hit .293 in the month of July, hitting three of the six home runs this season entering Friday. Within that, he had a particularly good road trip to Colorado and Los Angeles, in which he hit .471 with a 1.644 OPS and eight hits in five games.

But even his better performance, he said, was more because he was around his family, which helped raise his spirits, rather than actually feeling more comfortable at the plate.

“This whole year, it’s felt uncomfortable and I’ve been missing pitches,” he said. “It doesn’t matter if (pitchers are) adjusting or not. They’re middle-middle. A Little League hitter would at least put them in play and I’m fouling them straight back. That’s where it’s frustrating.”

It was easier, he said, to handle some of that frustration when he had “some mentors that were there to help.” But after the Twins shipped off 10 major leaguers at the deadline, now Lewis said he mostly looks to Byron Buxton for mentorship. And though he has close relationships with former players Torii Hunter and Matt Kemp, both two-time Silver Slugger Award winners, he said he feels bad reaching out to ask them for help, too, leading him to feel somewhat alone.

“I feel like I’m kind of on an island and trying to figure it out on my own,” Lewis said. “It’s really hard.”

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