Lynx top Wings 90-78 as Natisha Hiedeman brings needed spark

Natisha Hiedeman has the plan.

Before every game, like she did recently at practice, she’s going to turn an ankle.

On Monday night at Target Center, in front of the Lynx’s biggest crowd of the season (8,314) and with a sore ankle that landed her on the team’s injury report, Hiedeman came off the bench and won a game for the team.

Minnesota (11-3) beat Dallas 90-78 in a choppy game in which the Wings (3-10) — without leading scorer Arike Ogunbowale — tried to beat the Lynx inside. Minnesota won its fourth consecutive game and seventh in the past eight.

And you can credit this one to Hiedeman.

“It was kind of flowing,” Hiedeman said after scoring 17 points, her first Lynx game in double figures. “There were a lot of options, a lot of stuff in transition. My teammates made everything easy. I was just able to get going today.”

It’s been a minute. Hiedeman was acquired in an offseason trade with the idea of making the Lynx harder to play against on the perimeter. The start of the season was sometimes difficult for Hiedeman, especially when it came to scoring. On some nights, she didn’t play a lot. On others, she didn’t score much.

But she remained ready.

“We needed someone to step up, and ‘T’ did exactly that,” said Alanna Smith, who scored 12 points and battled for a season-high nine rebounds against the Wings’ height. She had five steals, four of the six by the Lynx in the fourth quarter.

“People say she had a little rough start,” Smith continued. “We’ve all known she’s been ready to go. She’s prepared. And she’s a dog, too. Super-fast. Great passer. We needed all that tonight, and she delivered that, and more. I know it’s just the start for “T.”

Here’s how she did it:

Late in the third quarter, the Lynx trailed 59-57 after Monique Billings, who was one assist short of a triple-double, scored.

Then Hiedeman went to work.

With 2:03 left in the quarter, Hiedeman drove, scored, was fouled and made the free throw. The Lynx got a stop, then Hiedeman was fouled and hit both free throws with 1:41 left.

The Wings scored, but the Lynx answered with Hiedeman feeding Smith for a layup. Cecilia Zandalasini’s two free throws gave the Lynx a 9-4 finish to the quarter and a 66-63 lead.

And Hiedeman was just starting.

In a 12-2 start to the fourth quarter, a run that pushed the Lynx’s run to 21-6, she scored or assisted on every score.

Hiedeman scored. Then she fed first Smith and then Napheesa Collier for baskets. Then she scored again. Finally, with 7:17 left in the game, she fed Dorka Juhász for a basket and the Lynx were up 78-65.

BOXSCORE: Lynx 90, Dallas 78

The Lynx needed all of it. They were playing without Bridget Carleton, who was out because of an elbow injury. And Collier and Courtney Williams both struggled with their shooting. Collier had 16 points but was 5-for-17 from the field. Williams was 3-for-11.

Still, five Lynx players finished in double figures, with Kayla McBride scoring 19 and Juhász getting 11.

The Wings scored 44 points in the paint but only six in the fourth quarter. They tried to pound the ball inside but were outscored by the Lynx 23-1 on made free throws. The Lynx also turned 16 Wings turnovers into 20 points.

The Wings shot nearly 48%. But by the end, points were coming harder. Dallas (3-10) lost its eighth consecutive game despite 17 points each from Sevgi Uzun and Maddy Siegrist and 15 from Billings.

“That’s what makes us great,” Smith said. “We wear people down.”

Hiedeman did that, in particular.

“It’s been coming for ‘T,’ ” Reeve said. “I’m really happy for her. She was able to get to the rim with aggression, play with some pace. Obviously her best game as a Lynx.

“I go into every game with aggression,” Hiedeman said. “But it’s what the defense gives me. I was more me today, and I took it.”

Even on a sore ankle.

“I’m going to twist my ankle before every game,” she said.