Kayla McBride became the first player in WNBA history to make 10 3-pointers in a game Sunday, scoring a career-high 43 points as the Minnesota Lynx defeated the Dallas Wings 103-90 at Target Center and became the league’s first team to secure a 2026 playoff berth.

McBride converted 10 of 14 attempts from beyond the arc and shot 16 of 21 overall in 32 minutes. Her record-breaking 3-pointer came off an assist from Napheesa Collier with 2:23 remaining, extending Minnesota’s lead to 98-83 and moving McBride beyond the previous league high of nine.

That earlier mark had been reached eight times by six players, most recently by Toronto Tempo guard Marina Mabrey on June 25. No player had made 10 until McBride, a 13th-year veteran whose combination of movement, quick release and efficiency overwhelmed the Dallas defense.

“I love this game and it’s been so good to me,” McBride said during the postgame broadcast. “When I have opportunities like that, I want to give it back.”

Minnesota gave McBride another opportunity to extend the record before removing her with 1:21 left. The Target Center crowd rose for an extended ovation and chanted her first name as she went to the bench. McBride became emotional after the final buzzer while taking in the response from the home fans.

The performance established McBride’s personal scoring high and the Lynx’s record for points in a regulation game. She made her first four field-goal attempts and 12 of her first 13, building momentum through catch-and-shoot opportunities, transition chances and possessions in which Minnesota’s guards drew defenders into the lane. Six of those first 12 baskets were 3-pointers.

A brief cooling-off period arrived late in the third quarter, when McBride missed three consecutive jumpers. She responded with four more 3-pointers in the fourth, turning a productive afternoon into a league record. Her final line also included one rebound, one assist and one steal, with her scoring efficiency carrying the offense.

McBride said she did not initially realize how close she was to the record. A member of Minnesota’s coaching staff eventually informed her that she needed one more 3-pointer. She described her approach more simply after the game: trying to win, continuing to shoot and trusting the opportunities produced by the offense.

Rookie guard Olivia Miles played a central role in creating those opportunities. Miles finished with 20 points and a season-high 13 assists, repeatedly reaching the paint and forcing Dallas defenders to choose between containing her and staying attached to Minnesota’s shooters. According to figures cited by CBS Sports from ESPN Insights, McBride scored 22 points while shooting 8 of 9 on passes from Miles.

McBride called playing alongside Miles “like a kid in a candy store,” emphasizing that the record grew out of the team’s spacing and ball movement. The Lynx finished with a franchise-record 18 3-pointers, demonstrating that Dallas could not solve the broader shooting pressure simply by sending additional attention toward McBride.

Collier added 17 points in Minnesota’s balanced supporting effort, while Natasha Howard scored 12. The Lynx were playing for a second consecutive day after defeating the Las Vegas Aces 98-87 on Saturday, but showed few signs of fatigue as they moved to 27-7 and won for the 12th time in 13 games.

The victory guaranteed Minnesota a postseason place and kept the team in control of the WNBA standings. It was also another indication of the club’s depth. The Lynx built much of their league-leading record while Collier recovered from surgery on both ankles and missed the first 27 games of the season. Her return has added an elite two-way presence to a team that had already developed reliable production from McBride, Miles, Howard and Courtney Williams.

For McBride, the record added a defining performance to a career built on shooting consistency. The Erie, Pennsylvania, native played at Notre Dame and was selected third overall by San Antonio in the 2014 WNBA Draft. She later played for Las Vegas before joining Minnesota in 2021. The Lynx re-signed the five-time All-Star in April after she entered an offseason in which she could have pursued a different destination.

“I’m 34 years old, it’s my 13th year in the league,” McBride said after the game. “I’m exactly where I want to be.” She described returning to the Lynx as the best decision she had made and thanked Minneapolis for embracing her.

That decision has been rewarded with one of her most productive seasons. McBride has increased her scoring and 3-point volume while remaining among the league’s most accurate high-usage perimeter shooters. Sunday’s outburst raised her average to 18.4 points per game, according to the Lynx’s updated roster statistics, and strengthened her standing among the WNBA leaders in made 3-pointers.

Dallas received 23 points and eight assists from Paige Bueckers, while Aziaha James scored a season-high 19. Odyssey Sims added 17 points, and Alanna Smith finished with 11 points and eight rebounds. The Wings fell to 19-13 after their third consecutive loss and sixth defeat in eight games.

Dallas also lost All-Star Jessica Shepard to an ankle injury during the first quarter. She did not return. Rookie guard Azzi Fudd, the No. 1 overall draft pick, missed her second straight game because of a knee issue, further limiting a Wings lineup attempting to keep pace with Minnesota’s perimeter scoring.

The Lynx completed a season-series sweep of Dallas and will next visit the expansion Portland Fire on Wednesday. The Wings return home to face the Toronto Tempo the same day. Minnesota will make that trip with its postseason place already secured—and with McBride now holding a record no WNBA player had reached in the league’s first three decades.