As a top-most team across the league, the Minnesota Lynx was expected to give head-to-head competition to the Phoenix Mercury. But by halftime, it looked like a blowout as Phoenix secured 42 of their 47 points in the paint in the first half—a WNBA playoff record for most points in the paint in a half. Then the second half happened, and the Lynx flipped the script with 22–12 in the paint, 10 second-chance points, 11–0 in transition. And yes, it was a team effort, but still all eyes were on one player who stole the show!

But no, it wasn’t Napheesa Collier, who finished second in the league’s MVP voting and added 18 points with nine rebounds. Rather, Minnesota’s potential player of the game was Maria Kliundikova, who entered the game at the 36:20 mark in the third quarter and turned the tables upside down in just eight minutes. So naturally, a reporter asked Lynx HC after the win about Kliundikova’s impressive run. And Cheryl Reeve couldn’t help but give the deserved flowers.

“Maash rose to the occasion for us,” she said. “Her minutes were the best eight minutes of the game. Credit to Maash for being ready and being big. She did what she needed to do, getting a jump ball when we needed it, boards, the loose defensive rebounds.” And yes, her eight minutes were exactly that—the best of the game.

Kliundikova entered with the score tied with the Lynx trailing by one in the third quarter and immediately fired on all cylinders. She opened with a steal and, just 65 seconds later, grabbed an offensive rebound before setting up McBride for a triple. And she wasn’t done. With under four minutes to go, after sitting out roughly 2 1/2 minutes, she returned to the floor and sparked another key sequence.

“She really gave us a jolt towards the end,” McBride said of Maria. She grabbed an offensive rebound after being subbed in for the Co-DPOY Alanna Smith at 4:01 in the fourth quarter, which led to yet another McBride three-pointer, pushing the Lynx ahead 73-67. She capped her impact with a 1-foot layup assisted by Courtney Williams and another defensive rebound.

“She was definitely a game-changer for us,” Williams said of the bench player. “When you’re sitting most of the game and have to come in and make that instant impact, you just got to be mentally strong, and that’s exactly what she did. Eight minutes (she was a) plus-14.” And that was how she added the much-needed depth for the team. But that’s exactly why the Lynx added her to the team.

Starting off this season, the Lynx weren’t an incredibly big team in the frontcourt. They only had Alanna Smith and Jessica Shepard at 6’4. So, when the LA Sparks waived Maria after training camp, the Lynx capitalized on the opportunity. They added Kliundikova at 6’4 to add much-needed size to the Lynx frontcourt depth.

Though not a three-point threat or defender like Alanna Smith, Kliundikova provided steady backup minutes. With Collier sidelined by injury, the Lynx adjusted by starting Shepard, leaving Kliundikova as the lone big off the bench.

Notably, she added 21 points with nine rebounds in the Lynx’s first three games without Collier. But the highlight remained her performance against the Liberty, wherein she played for 23 minutes and made her presence felt everywhere. By the end of the game, she had six points with five rebounds, four steals, two blocks, and an assist.

So, you see, why Reeve said, “Just I like the quality of her (Maria’s) minutes”. Still, the win could not have been possible without the HC herself.

Cheryl Reeve also played a key role in helping the team.

When the Lynx failed defensively in the first half, Cheryl Reeve took a break and sent a special message to the team. As guard Kayla McBride revealed, “We’ve been through a lot of adverse situations in the last two years together, so we always know it’s a team effort. In those moments we need to brainstorm or whatever. We’re not on islands; we’re doing it together. There was just another example of that in our halftime conversation”.

And yes, the team responded. They allowed 24 points in the first and 23 points in the second quarter for Mercury before the call. But after that, Mercury was limited to just 22 in the remaining two quarters, making only nine of 36 shots, including 2-for-15 from outside the arc in the final two quarters. As McBride concluded with 21 points and six rebounds while Collier followed up with 18 points, the Lynx added an 82-69 win.

The Lynx now hold a 1-0 lead in the semifinals against the Mercury, needing just two more wins to reach the Finals for the second straight year. But nothing seems rushed; they aren’t panicking. Even when trailing, they stay calm, balanced, and supportive of one another. Today, “it was a collaborative effort,” as every player stayed engaged despite entering the locker room down by seven. An hour later, they came back with a win. So, the Lynx are moving with purpose.