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Minnesota Lynx’s resurgence is no fluke: WNBA Film Room

The Lynx have won four of their last six games after a tumultuous start to the season. (Jeff Wheeler/Star Tribune via Getty Images)

Happy WNBA All-Star week! Eight weeks into the regular season, the reigning WNBA champion Chicago Sky are on a five-game win streak and have secured sole possession of first place at 15-5.

The Las Vegas Aces held the No. 1 slot for the majority of the first half of the season, but have since fallen to second in the standings with a 15-6 record. After storming out to a 13-2 start, the Aces have lost four of their last six games, including a 31-point defeat Sunday to the 11th-place Minnesota Lynx.

It feels like the Connecticut Sun are still putting all the pieces together, and yet the third-place team is finding ways to grind out wins. The Sun have come from behind multiple times this season, but no comeback was more notable than their 74-72 overtime win over the Washington Mystics on Sunday, in which they trailed by as many as 17 points.

Success in the WNBA is all about peaking at the right time, and the Sun have the tools and veteran experience to dominate in the second half of the season. After reviewing film and statistics, here is what else I noticed around the WNBA this week.

The Lynx find their stride

After a tumultuous start to the season riddled with roster cuts, injuries and losses, the Lynx had their biggest offensive night of the year in a 102-71 win over the Aces on Sunday. Minnesota, now 7-15 on the season, has won four of its last six games.

For the first time this year, the Lynx have been able to play a consistent rotation. Moriah Jefferson is healthy; Sylvia Fowles may not be 100 percent, but is still able to give them 20-22 minutes per game; and Damiris Dantas has returned and given Minnesota a major boost offensively and defensively.

The difference between the Lynx’s numbers at the start of the season and those from the last six games is shocking. Minnesota went from the worst offensive team in the WNBA to leading the league in scoring over the last two weeks at 91.3 points per game. This is a completely different Lynx team, whose current record doesn’t reflect what it’s capable of down the stretch.

Take a look at the glaring comparisons through the first half of the season:

First 16 games vs. Last six games

PPG: 78.4 — 91.3
FG%: 43.0 — 48.2
3-pt%: 31.0 — 40.1
RPG: 36.1 — 40.2
APG: 19.6 — 23.2
TO per game: 15.6 — 13.7
PPG allowed: 84.9 — 78.8

Sweet revenge

One of the best moments of the past week was Moriah Jefferson earning her first career triple-double. The 5-foot-6 guard put up 13 points, 10 assists and 10 rebounds in Minnesota’s 92-64 win over the Dallas Wings, the same team that waived her back in May. The kicker? Dallas is still paying Jefferson nearly three times the amount she is making with the Lynx.

The Wings’ move to waive Jefferson did not include a buyout or contract divorce, so they are still responsible for her $180,200 salary for the 2022 season. The Lynx, meanwhile, have her on the books for $67, 141.

While the Lynx continue to gain confidence and improve night in and night out, the Wings are a very different story.

What is going on in Dallas?

As a high-octane, young franchise that has the potential to beat any team on any given night, the Wings have hit a roadblock in recent weeks, losing three in a row and eight of their last 11 games. It is not necessarily the losses that are most concerning, but rather the way they’re competing. That was glaringly apparent in their 28-point loss to the Lynx last week.

Dallas currently ranks seventh in the league at 81.4 points per game and sixth in points allowed at 82.3. In their last 11 games, the Wings have conceded an average of 86.2 points to their opponents.

After starting the season 6-4, Dallas has gone 3-8 in the last month. Here is a look at the Wings’ production during each of those spans.

First 10 games vs. Last 11 games

PPG: 80.2 — 82.5
FG%: 41.2 — 42.5
TO per game: 14.5 — 14.5
APG: 17.6 — 18.4
Pace: 93.78 — 97.85
Opponent PPG: 78.9 — 85.4
Opponent RPG: 33.6 — 34.5
Opponent FG%: 44.9 — 45.4
Opponent 3-pt%: 31.6 — 34.3

The Wings have actually put up more points in their last 11 games, but they are allowing close to seven extra points per game and are not rebounding the ball as well. They are also playing at a faster pace, which is not a good thing for every team. Overall, Dallas is ninth in the league with 95.59 possessions per game, but that number has increased significantly from 93.78 to a fifth-highest 97.85 in the last month.

Without their second-leading scorer, Allisha Gray, for two of their most recent losses, including the blowout defeat to Minnesota, the Wings have had a hard time adjusting on offense and in defensive assignments. Gray returned for their most recent game against the Los Angeles Sparks, playing 30-plus minutes in the 97-89 loss and showing how this Wings team transforms when she is consistently on the floor.

On Friday, Dallas also welcomed back 2021 All-Star Satou Sabally, who missed three weeks with a knee injury. The Wings’ fourth-leading scorer scored just seven points in 16 minutes against the Sparks, but she was averaging close to 22 minutes per game before the injury.

The Wings will have an opportunity to right the ship before the All-Star break when they host the Sun on Tuesday.

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Diana Taurasi was not voted to the All-Star team despite putting up strong numbers through the first half. (Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

Thoughts heading into All-Star week

WNBA All-Star festivities begin later this week in Chicago, with the WNBA 3-Point Contest and Skills Challenge on Saturday and the All-Star Game on Sunday. The full rosters were revealed on June 22, and captains A’ja Wilson and Breanna Stewart drafted their teams this past weekend.

One of my biggest takeaways from the All-Star proceedings of the past few weeks is that if Sue Bird is an All-Star, then Diana Taurasi should be. While the Phoenix Mercury have dealt with plenty of adversity this year, the 10-time All-Star is doing her part at 40 years old, averaging 15.6 points per game and as many as 22.3 points in the month of June. She has scored 20-plus points in seven games this year for the shorthanded Mercury.

I predict Team Wilson to win and Kelsey Plum to be named MVP. The key to All-Star games is offensive firepower in the backcourt, and Team Wilson has plenty of that in Plum, Rhyne Howard, Courtney Vandersloot and Ariel Atkins. Not to mention, their backcourt also features hometown superstar Candace Parker.

Taking place directly across the street from the All-Star festivities at Wintrust Arena is one of the largest grassroot girls basketball travel tournaments in the country. The Nike Tournament of Champions and Blue Star Nationals will run simultaneously at McCormick Place. The WNBA has long had to do a better job of building its audience at the grassroots level, and All-Star weekend is a perfect opportunity to bridge the gap, with thousands of youth athletes playing just steps away from the biggest WNBA fan event of the year. Downtown Chicago this weekend will be the place to be for every women’s basketball fan, coach or player.

Week 9 Power Rankings

  1. Chicago Sky (15-5) —
  2. Las Vegas Aces (15-6) —
  3. Connecticut Sun (14-7) —
  4. Seattle Storm (13-8) —
  5. Washington Mystics (13-10) —
  6. Atlanta Dream (10-11) +1
  7. Los Angeles Sparks (10-11) +2
  8. Minnesota Lynx (7-15) +2
  9. New York Liberty (8-12) -3
  10. Phoenix Mercury (9-14) +1
  11. Dallas Wings (9-12) -3
  12. Indiana Fever (5-17) —

Rachel Galligan is a basketball analyst at Just Women’s Sports. A former professional basketball player and collegiate coach, she also contributes to Winsidr. Follow Rachel on Twitter @RachGall.

WPSL to Launch First-Ever 2nd Division U.S. Pro Women’s Soccer League

The new WPSL Pro league logo on a red-to-blue ombre gradient background.
The new WPSL Pro league is set to launch in 2026. (WPSL Pro Soccer)

The Women’s Premier Soccer League (WPSL) announced a plan to launch a Division II pro arm in 2026, providing a domestic stepping stone for players aspiring to top-flight leagues like the NWSL and USL Super League.

The same Cleveland ownership group that recently fell short of securing an NWSL expansion team is backing the venture, making good on their promise to bring professional women's soccer to Northeast Ohio.

The league will launch with a shortened season following the 2026 men's World Cup, before beginning its first full-fledged campaign in April 2027.

With 15 teams already confirmed, WPSL Pro intends to field clubs in an initial 16 to 20 markets.

Along with Cleveland, the inaugural WPSL Pro season will include teams in Austin, Atlanta, Dallas, Denver, Fargo, Houston, Oklahoma City, Sioux Falls, Wichita, and the Bay Area, among others. Each franchise will pay a $1 million fee to enter the league.

The WPSL has a history of fostering high-level amateur competition, currently housing over 100 clubs and boasting a roster of former players that includes USWNT icons Brandi Chastain, Alex Morgan, and Rose Lavelle. WPSL Pro, however, will become the US soccer pyramid's first-ever second-tier league.

"WPSL Pro is the bridge that's been missing — not just for players, but for the communities, investors, and brands ready to be part of the next chapter in women's sports," league co-founder Sean Jones said in a statement.

Caitlin Clark Scores 2nd Best-Selling Jersey Across WNBA and NBA Sales

Fans clamor to buy Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark jerseys before a 2024 WNBA game.
Caitlin Clark sold the second-most basketball jerseys in the US in 2024. (Dylan Buell/Getty Images)

The No. 22 kit of Indiana Fever superstar Caitlin Clark weighed in as last fall's second best-selling basketball jersey in the US according to sports outfitter Fanatics, with the 2024 WNBA Rookie of the Year trailing only NBA superstar Steph Curry on the top sales list.

Clark's merch dominance is nothing new, however. Her Indiana jersey sold out less than an hour after the Fever drafted her as the overall No. 1 pick in April 2024, making Clark the top seller of any draft night pick in the company's history.

Even more, Clark's merchandise led last season's record-shattering WNBA sales, with Fanatics reporting that 2024 sales of player-specific gear earned a jaw-dropping 1,000% year-over-year increase by last summer's All-Star break — in large part thanks to the 2024 WNBA rookie class.

Fellow 2024 WNBA debutants Chicago Sky standout Angel Reese and then-Las Vegas Aces guard Kate Martin — Clark's NCAA teammate at Iowa — trailed the Fever star with the league's second- and fourth-most merchandise sales, respectively.

This year, a new WNBA rookie could give Clark a run for her money, as the No. 5 Dallas Wings jersey for 2025's No. 1 draft pick, Paige Bueckers, is already doing numbers at retailers across the country.

Already a brand mogul in her own right, Bueckers topped the 2024 NIL list as college basketball’s biggest earner via endorsement deals and merchandise sales prior to going pro.

Kenyan Runner Sharon Lokedi Shatters Boston Marathon Record

Kenya's Sharon Lokedi raises her arms in triumph as she crosses the 2025 Boston Marathon finish line.
Kenya’s Sharon Lokedi beat the Boston Marathon course record by over two minutes. (Erica Denhoff/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Kenyan runner Sharon Lokedi shattered the women’s course record at the 2025 Boston Marathon on Monday, finishing the 129th edition of the race in 2:17:22 — more than two and a half minutes faster than the previous record set by Ethiopia's Buzunesh Deba in 2014.

The victory marked the 31-year-old runner's second major marathon championship following her 2022 New York City Marathon win.

After finishing second in the 2024 Boston Marathon behind fellow Kenyan Hellen Obiri, Lokedi avenged her runner-up status by overtaking the back-to-back defending champion in the final kilometer of Monday’s race.

"I'm always second to her and today I was like, 'There’s no way,'" Lokedi said of her rivalry with Obiri. "I just have to put it out there and fight 'til the end and see how it goes. I'm so glad I ran that fast and she was right behind me. We all fought and wanted this so bad."

All of this year’s top three finishers broke through the course record pace, with Obiri and Ethiopia's Yalemzerf Yehualaw joining Lokedi both at the finish line and in the Boston Marathon's record book.

Along with her $150,000 winner's check, Lokedi will pocket an additional $50,000 for claiming the fastest women's time in Boston Marathon history.

Naomi Girma Makes Champions League Debut for Chelsea in UWCL Semifinal Loss

Barcelona's Alexia Putellas shakes hands with Chelsea's Naomi Girma after their 2024/25 Champions League semifinal.
Naomi Girma subbed into Chelsea’s 4-1 Champions League semifinal loss to Barcelona on Sunday. (JOSEP LAGO/AFP via Getty Images)

USWNT star defender Naomi Girma made her UEFA Women’s Champions League debut this weekend, with Chelsea FC's million-dollar signing taking the pitch during the UK club's tough 4-1 semifinal loss to reigning champion Barcelona on Sunday.

Despite joining the WSL leaders on a world-record $1.1 million transfer fee from the NWSL’s San Diego Wave in January, injury hampered Girma's impact on the Blues, as the Stanford grad appeared in just one regular-season WSL match before exiting with a knock to the calf back in March.

Returning from that injury, Girma subbed in at the 81st minute on a mission to protect Chelsea's relatively tight 2-1 scoreline on Sunday.

Despite her efforts, a quick goal from center back Irene Paredes coupled with a 90th-minute strike from forward Clàudia Pina secured Barcelona the win — plus a significant lead going into this weekend's deciding second-leg semifinal match.

"Barcelona were sharper in tight spaces than we were, which is what they're known for," said Chelsea defender Lucy Bronze after the match.

"The whole rhythm of the game was very different from in England. This was much more of a Spanish tempo. We wanted to play a little more aggressively on the ball, but the staccato nature of the match worked against us."

How to watch the Chelsea at theChampions League semifinals

Girma will have another chance to earn her check this Sunday, when Chelsea hosts Barcelona in the second leg of their 2024/25 UEFA Champions League semifinal round.

The match kicks off at 9 AM ET, with live coverage on DAZN.

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