Aliyah Boston has been everything as advertised and more in the first weeks of her rookie season in the WNBA.

On Tuesday, Boston recorded 25 points, 11 rebounds, two blocks, a steal and an assist while shooting 80 percent from the field in the Indiana Fever’s 108-103 overtime loss to the Chicago Sky. It was a career-best performance for Boston six games into the season, and a stat line indicative of what the WNBA can likely expect from the 2023 No. 1 draft pick for years to come.

Aliyah Boston with a career-high performance tonight.

25 PTS | 11 REB | 2 BLK | 1 STL | 1 AST | 80 FG% pic.twitter.com/U4s8W4izbe

— Indiana Fever (@IndianaFever) June 7, 2023

Already this season, Boston has achieved something no other rookie or WNBA player has in history, averaging 15 points per game on 70 percent shooting in the first six games of a season. She’s averaging 15.8 points on 70.9 percent shooting, while also pulling down 6.5 rebounds per game.

“Aliyah’s not normal. She’s not the normal rookie,” said Fever veteran Erica Wheeler. “She understands what it means to be a great teammate, and a great sister, too.

“She’s a franchise player.”

Wheeler’s commentary on Boston echoes that of Fever leading-scorer Kelsey Mitchell earlier this season. After Boston’s WNBA debut, a 70-61 loss to the Connecticut Sun, Mitchell said Boston does not “have a rookie mindset.”

Despite a 1-5 start to the season, the Fever are playing teams close thanks to Boston’s dominance in the paint. The 2022 NCAA champion and Naismith Player of the Year is averaging the second-most minutes on the team so far, just behind Mitchell and ahead of Wheeler and 2022 No. 2 pick NaLyssa Smith.

Under first-year coach Christie Sides, Indiana is looking to makes its first WNBA playoff appearance in six years, the longest drought in the league.

The Minnesota Lynx advanced to the 2024 WNBA Finals by defeating the Connecticut Sun 88-77 in Tuesday's winner-take-all Game 5. The Sun have now been ousted from the WNBA semifinals for the fourth time in six years.

Buoyed by a home crowd, the Lynx jumped out to take the early lead. Propelled by the play of 2024 MVP runner-up Napheesa Collier and guard Courtney Williams, Minnesota wrapped up the first half an impressive 19 points ahead of the Sun.

Collier, the 2024 Defensive Player of the Year, finished the game with a 27-point, 11-rebound double-double. Willams put up 24 points, with guard Kayla McBride adding 19 in the decisive win.

“They just kind of punched us in the face, and we got shellshocked and then we couldn’t fight back,” said Connecticut forward DeWanna Bonner.

Lynx defense stifles the Sun

Combined with their explosive offense, the Lynx leaned on their strong defense to limit the Sun's impact. Connecticut shot just 38.5% from the floor as Minnesota forced 19 costly turnovers, converting them into 22 Lynx points.

Dijonai Carrington led the Sun with 17 points and 12 rebounds in the losing effort. Center Brionna Jones also put up a double-double (16 points, 10 rebounds).

The loss ends the Sun's 2024 hunt for a first-ever franchise title, an effort that could become more difficult next season. Four of Connecticut's five starters — Bonner, Carrington, Jones, and forward Alyssa Thomas — are now officially free agents, meaning next year's Sun roster could see significant changes.

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Collier, Bonner make WNBA playoff history

Continuing her dominant season, yesterday's tilt saw Collier become the first WNBA player to put up at least 25 points and 10 rebounds in three straight playoff games.

Meanwhile, Sun veteran Bonner bows out of the postseason as the all-time leader in postseason WNBA games played. She's also second all-time in postseason scoring, and third in postseason rebounds.

In this week's episode of The Late Sub, host Claire Watkins gives a postmortem on this era of the Las Vegas Aces, before claiming the Liberty as WNBA championship frontrunners and prepping for Tuesday's Game 5 semifinal between the Lynx and the Sun.

Then, she chats about Orlando’s incredible run to the 2024 NWSL Shield, the individual NWSL records primed to fall, and aimlessness further down the league table.

The Late Sub with Claire Watkins brings you the latest news and freshest takes in women’s sports. This is the weekly rundown you’ve been missing, covering the USWNT, NWSL, WNBA, college hoops, and whatever else is popping off in women’s sports each week. Special guest appearances with the biggest names in women’s sports make The Late Sub a must-listen for every fan. Follow Claire on X/Twitter @ScoutRipley and subscribe to the Just Women’s Sports newsletter for more.

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After splitting their first four games, tonight's Game 5 semifinal will determine who will go on to face New York in the 2024 WNBA Finals: the Minnesota Lynx or the Connecticut Sun.

The two teams' best-of-five series has been the tightest of the 2024 postseason thus far. Both claimed one road win and one at home, and even the series score sheet is wildly close, with the Lynx putting up 321 points across the four games and the Sun posting 315.

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New WNBA season, same elimination game matchup

Tonight's tilt marks the pair's second-straight season competing in a winner-takes-all playoff showdown after the Sun beat the Lynx 90-75 in Game 3 of 2023's first round.

"At this point, you know each other inside and out," said Sun coach Stephanie White after Sunday's win. "It's about players making plays. It’s about the extra efforts. The hustle plays. It's about not being denied and finding something deep inside of you that allows you to come out on top."

Unlike the Lynx, the Sun have the added motivation of hunting a franchise-first WNBA championship. Minnesota, on the other hand, boasts four titles already, most recently in 2017.

It's something top-of-mind for veteran Sun forward DeWanna Bonner, who called the atmosphere in Minneapolis for Game 1 and 2 "absolutely insane."

"I can only imagine what it will be like in a Game 5. We know that," Bonner continued. "I wouldn’t tell the team anything other than focus in on each other. They have great fans, championship fans. They’ve won multiple championships. They’re hungry for another one."

Stats pave a complicated road to the Finals

To overcome Minnesota's hunger, Connecticut will likely defer to Sunday's winning formula. The return of guard Ty Harris from injury had an immediate impact, as did the Sun's performance behind the arc — Connecticut sank 53% of their three-pointers while the Lynx failed to crack 40%.

For their part, Minnesota will be aiming to stifle Connecticut's offense, which saw five Sun players score double-digits on Sunday.

"We have to get back to what got us in this position in the first place, which is our defense," noted Lynx star Napheesa Collier, the 2024 Defensive Player of the Year.

How to watch Sun vs. Lynx in Game 5 of the 2024 WNBA semifinals

The Sun and Lynx will tip off in Minneapolis at 8 PM ET tonight, with live broadcast and streaming coverage on ESPN2.

With three regular-season matches left, the still-undefeated Orlando Pride clinched the 2024 NWSL Shield with Sunday's rainy 2-0 win over the second-place Washington Spirit.

Marta converted the 57th-minute game-winning penalty kick, securing her team's first-ever piece of hardware with her eighth goal of the season.

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"I stayed here because I want to make history with this team," the Brazilian soccer icon, who's been with the Pride for eight years, said afterwards. "And then we did tonight, and then we go for more."

Though the Pride's dominance this season is unmatched, Washington was notably without several key players. Between injuries and yellow card suspensions, the Spirit faced Orlando without Trinity Rodman, Casey Krueger, Hal Hershfelt, Leicy Santos, or Ouleye Sarr.

Chawinga ties Kerr's NWSL scoring record

It took less than two minutes for Kansas City's Temwa Chawinga to find the back of the net in Saturday's 2-0 win over Louisville, tying former Chicago Red Star Sam Kerr's single-season NWSL scoring record with her 18th goal.

With three matchdays to go, the Malawian striker is all but guaranteed to upend Kerr's 2019 record.

"I think that Temwa's ability to get behind the line and then drive towards the goal, and being aggressive going towards the goal, is something that differentiates her," KC head coach Vlatko Andonovski said after the match. "Temwa's just a pure goalscorer. We're happy that she's done it for us this season and hopefully she continues to do it."

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Other noteworthy NWSL results

In other NWSL news, fifth-place North Carolina punched their postseason ticket with Saturday's 2-1 win over San Diego. The day before, last-place Houston become the first club eliminated from the 2024 playoff picture.

Gotham’s 5-1 Saturday blowout of Bay has the defending NWSL champs achingly close to leaping second-place Washington on the table. The two clubs are tied for points, with the Spirit's shrinking goal differential giving them the tenuous edge.

On the other hand, Saturday's 2-1 loss to 12th-place Utah extended Portland's NWSL winless streak to seven matches. The Thorns are remarkably still in seventh-place, but sit tied for points with eighth-place Bay FC. With lower-table teams hungry to rise above the postseason cutoff line, every match left could see Portland fall from contention.