Cheryl Reeve Becomes WNBA Career Coaching Wins Leader

Kayla McBride poured in 23 points as the Minnesota Lynx edged the Connecticut Sun 86-80, giving coach Cheryl Reeve the WNBA record for regular season victories and moving Minnesota a half-game ahead of defending champion Las Vegas at the top of the standings.

Reeve now owns 380 regular season wins, moving one clear of Mike Thibault. The historic milestone also linked generations on the Lynx bench, as Eric Thibault, Mike Thibault’s son, currently serves as Minnesota’s associate head coach alongside Reeve.

The Lynx appointed Reeve in 2010, and the coach has since led the team to four WNBA titles. Those championships tie Minnesota with the Houston Comets and Seattle Storm for the most in league history, underscoring Reeve’s long-term influence on the franchise’s sustained success.

Reeve had already matched Mike Thibault’s win total with an 85-77 road victory over Dallas on June 28. Minnesota then lost consecutive games for the first time this season, slipping at New York on July 5 and then falling 90-89 to Connecticut at home on July 7.

Wednesday’s victory therefore came in Reeve’s third opportunity to move past Thibault. Minnesota improved to 16-6 with the result, while the Sun dropped to 5-17. The win also helped reset momentum for the Lynx after that rare two-game slide in an otherwise strong campaign.

McBride’s scoring led Minnesota, while Natasha Howard delivered a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds. Connecticut stayed close behind balanced production from Leila Lacan, who tallied 15 points, six assists and six rebounds, and Olivia Nelson-Ododa, who contributed 14 points.

The Los Angeles Sparks ended a three-game losing run by defeating the Indiana Fever 106-92, in a contest that also marked Caitlin Clark’s return from a back injury. Clark played 16 minutes for Indiana, finishing with nine points after missing the previous two games.

Nneka Ogwumike drove the Sparks’ win with 24 points, eight rebounds and five assists. Rae Burrell added 22 points, Dearica Hamby posted 21 points and nine rebounds, and Erica Wheeler and Ariel Atkins each scored 12. Los Angeles moved to 9-11, while Indiana fell to 12-9.

Kelsey Mitchell paced the Fever with 29 points, and Lexie Hull supplied 14. Indiana was without Aliyah Boston, who sat out because of a right leg injury. Kelsey Plum, sidelined by a lower left leg issue, and Cameron Brink, out with a left ankle problem, also did not feature.

Elsewhere, Janelle Salaun came off the bench to score 26 points as the Golden State Valkyries overcame the expansion Toronto Tempo 83-75. The result gave Golden State a sixth straight victory and lifted the Valkyries to 16-7, further strengthening their position in the WNBA playoff race.

Fellow reserve Kaitlyn Chen added 16 points for Golden State, while Kayla Thornton recorded 15 points and nine rebounds. Toronto, now 9-12 after a third consecutive defeat, leaned on Isabelle Harrison’s 24 points and eight rebounds. Marina Mabrey had 11 points, six rebounds and four assists after being named the Tempo’s first WNBA All-Star.

The night’s results highlighted several storylines across the WNBA, led by Cheryl Reeve’s historic win for Minnesota. Strong individual displays from Nneka Ogwumike and Janelle Salaun also shaped the Sparks and Valkyries victories, while injuries continued to influence rotations for contenders such as Indiana and other teams.