Two minutes later, little had changed, except Smith had to leave the floor. Smith went down, tweaking her ankle, and was helped off the court and to the locker room. She later appeared on the bench, but didn’t re-enter the game.
The Lynx still made a late push, as Collier’s 11-foot jumper with 11 seconds remaining cut the deficit to three points. Hiedeman was a crucial contributor off the bench, with 10 points in the fourth quarter.
But the clock, and the Dream, eventually won out.
After the final buzzer sounded, the Lynx made a beeline for the locker room, while Griner took her time to relish the win, stopping to sign autographs and take photos with fans.