Minnesota Lynx head coach Cheryl Reeve lauded the impact of match-winning Natisha Hiedeman after a last-gasp victory over the Phoenix Mercury.

Hiedeman made a 3-pointer with 5.1 seconds remaining to lift the undefeated Lynx to a 74-71 victory over the Mercury on Friday.

That decisive moment helped Minnesota record a sixth straight win to start the season, while Hiedeman also scored all of her nine points in the fourth quarter.

"She came back to us this year on a mission to really impact the team," Reeve said of Hiedeman.

"She’s helped us more than once when we really needed her. We needed everything she did."

Down five after the third quarter, the Lynx may have been fearing a first loss of the season.

But the match-winning moment came when Kayla McBride stole possession, offloading for Courtney Williams before she, in turn, found Hiedeman to beat the clock.

"I got the ball, I dribbled all the way up to the three-point line, and I passed [Courtney Williams] the ball," said Hiedeman, who has sealed a Lynx victory with a late three-pointer in two of the past three games.

"She passed it back to me. I’m sitting there, thinking in my head, 'This for game right here. I got to knock this down.' And that’s what I did. And that’s the game."

not all heroes wear capes. pic.twitter.com/iNuuWwpYv5

— Minnesota Lynx (@minnesotalynx) May 31, 2025

Minnesota star Napheesa Collier was forced to watch on from the bench due to knee soreness, with an ongoing issue from 2023 that needs to be managed by precaution.

It seemed the Lynx would miss their key player but then went on to hold the Phoenix to 6-for-21 shooting in the final 10 minutes.

"This team is really resilient," said McBride, who scored 20 points with four assists. "We didn’t have our best player on the floor, so things were a little funky.

"They made it hard for us, sped us up. We just kept plugging away. That’s what good teams do."

Alanna Smith also scored 19, while Williams chipped in with 11 alongside seven assists and seven rebounds.

"We have a lot of confidence in people stepping up," Smith said of Hiedeman. "She’s done it twice now, hitting massing game-winning threes."