Collier scores 30, McBride 24 as Lynx beat Liberty 100-93 in Finals rematch

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Napheesa Collier had 30 points and nine rebounds, Kayla McBride added 24 points, and the Minnesota Lynx beat the short-handed New York Liberty 100-93 on Wednesday night in a rematch of last year's WNBA Finals.

Bridget Carleton made a 3-pointer from the corner with 7:08 remaining in the fourth quarter to give Minnesota a 79-66 lead. She added Minnesota’s 14th 3-pointer — on just 27 attempts — less than two minutes later to make it 84-69.

Minnesota's lead reached 92-77 before New York scored 11 straight over a two-minute stretch to get within four. Collier ended the run on a three-point play with 50.1 seconds left for a seven-point lead.

Collier went 11 of 16 from the field and 6 of 9 at the free-throw line to record her fifth 30-point game of the season for Minnesota (23-5). The Lynx connected on a season-high 15 3-pointers and reached 100 points for the fourth time this season.

Sabrina Ionescu countered with 31 points for New York (17-9), which did not have star Breanna Stewart due to a bone bruise in her right knee. Isabelle Harrison added 15 points and Marine Johannes scored 14.

Alanna Smith added 12 points for Minnesota, and Carleton and Natisha Hiedeman each scored 10. Courtney Williams had a career-high 13 assists to go with six points and nine rebounds.

Collier drained a 3-pointer with 14.3 seconds left in the first half for a 51-42 lead. She scored 19 points in the first half, including the Lynx’s final 11 of the second quarter.

AP WNBA: https://apnews.com/hub/wnba-basketball

Minnesota Lynx forward Alanna Smith (8) passes off while defended by New York Liberty guard Marine Johannes (23) in the first quarter of a WNBA basketball game Wednesday, July 30, 2025 in Minneapolis. (Jeff Wheeler/Star Tribune via AP)

Minnesota Lynx guard Courtney Williams (10) shoots while trailed by New York Liberty center Jonquel Jones (35) in the second quarter in a WNBA basketball game Wednesday, July 30, 2025 in Minneapolis. (Jeff Wheeler/Star Tribune via AP)

Minnesota Lynx guard Courtney Williams (10) shoots while trailed by New York Liberty center Jonquel Jones (35) in the second quarter in a WNBA basketball game Wednesday, July 30, 2025 in Minneapolis. (Jeff Wheeler/Star Tribune via AP)

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. forces in the Caribbean Sea have seized another sanctioned oil tanker the Trump administration says has ties to Venezuela, coming as part of a broader U.S. effort to take control of the South American country’s oil.

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem wrote Thursday on social media, “Motor Tanker Veronica had previously passed through Venezuelan waters, and was operating in defiance of President Trump’s established quarantine of sanctioned vessels in the Caribbean.”

A social media post from U.S. Southern Command on the capture said that Marines and sailors launched from the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford to make the capture while Noem’s post noted that, like in previous raids, a U.S. Coast Guard tactical team conducted the boarding and seizure.

Noem posted a brief video that appeared to show part of the ship’s capture. The black-and-white footage showed helicopters hovering over the deck of a merchant vessel while armed troops dropped down on the deck by rope.

The Veronica is the sixth tanker that has been seized by U.S. forces as part of the effort by President Donald Trump’s administration to control the production, refining and global distribution of Venezuela’s oil products, and the fourth since the U.S. ouster of Venezuela President Nicolás Maduro in a surprise nighttime raid almost two weeks ago.

Noem, in her social media post, said that the raid was carried out with “close coordination with our colleagues” in the military as well as the State and Justice departments.

“Our heroic Coast Guard men and women once again ensured a flawlessly executed operation, in accordance with international law,” Noem added.

This story has been corrected to show the Veronica is the fourth, not the third, tanker seized by U.S. forces since Maduro's capture.

U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem speaks during a press conference, Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem speaks at a news conference at Harry Reid International Airport, Nov. 22, 2025, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Ronda Churchill, File)