Minnesota’s defense was huge in the fourth quarter Friday. And on a rare offensively challenging night, Olivia Miles came up big late in other ways.

The Lynx limited Golden State to just 13 points in the final frame and beat the Valkyries 81-75 in San Francisco.

Minnesota has won 11 of its past 12 games.

Golden State finished 4 of 22 from the field in the final 10 minutes, including an abysmal 2 of 13 from deep. Golden State went 12 for 40 from distance overall, a significant departure from its 36.9% mark entering the game, which was good for second-best in the association.

The Valkyries led by 12 late in the first half, but were outscored 16-3 by the Lynx around halftime and 40-29 in the final 20 minutes.

“You don’t get better when it comes easy. This was definitely a challenge for us. It just helps us to understand how to play as a team, how to handle those different moments, how to stay together,” said Nia Coffey, who led the Lynx with a season-high 22 points. “Things aren’t always going to go our way, so I think we made some good strides.”

Courtney Williams added 21 points, a season-high 12 rebounds and five assists. Playing with much enjoyment, she also blew some kisses to the crowd and made heart gestures with her hands.

“The got an amazing fan base, and they fan base not that nice,” she said smiling. “But I love it, because who don’t want to play in this type of environment?”

Kayla McBride added 17 points.

“We needed Courtney Williams and Mac to compete, compete, compete,” coach Cheryl Reeve said. “Courtney’s first five minutes were forgettable and then she played the remainder of the game exactly as we needed her to do. She provided the compete for us. The rookie needed her.”

That first-year player would be Miles, who scored just seven points on 1 of 10 shooting, the first time in her young career not reaching double digits. But Miles recorded a three-point play early in the fourth quarter and drained a pair of free throws with 15.4 seconds left for a 79-75 lead.

The star point guard then blocked a 3-point try by Cecilia Zandalasini at the other end before Ola Kosu iced the game with two free throws.

“Us and them are the two best defensive teams in the league, so what she saw was actual defense,” Reeve said. “She saw physicality, she saw aggressive trapping. … Liv needed a game like this. This was a tremendous growth point for her when things don’t go your way, how do you show up? What she showed is that she’ll show up on the defensive end with kind of a game-sealing block, rebounding the basketball, closing out with free throws. She didn’t quit. … Maybe her numbers weren’t gaudy, but the impact she had on the game still was tremendous.”

The Lynx (13-3), who open a home-and-home series with Washington Sunday at Target Center, made 21 of 23 free throws, including eight of nine in the fourth quarter. The Valkyries (10-6) made just three of eight in the fourth quarter and 11 of 17 overall.

Down by 12 with under a minute to play before the half, McBride scored on a cutting layup, and after a Golden State miss, made two free throws. She then forced a Golden State turnover that led to Coffey getting fouled on a 3-pointer with 0.2 seconds left. With all three free throws falling, the Lynx were only down 46-41 after two quarters.

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Opening June 18 at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History, “From These Lands: Sharing Our Natural and Cultural Heritage” is a major new exhibition commemorating the 250th anniversary of the United States. The exhibition features more than 600 rare specimens and cultural objects representing all 50 states, the District of Columbia and five U.S. territories.

Drawn from the museum’s collection of more than 148 million artifacts and specimens, the 5,000-square-foot exhibition explores the people, landscapes, discoveries, traditions and stories that have shaped the nation throughout millions of years of natural and cultural history. Many of the featured items have rarely, if ever, been displayed publicly.

Missouri is represented by an American paddlefish, one of seven objects from the state included in the exhibition. The American paddlefish (Polyodon spathula) is the last surviving member of an ancient fish family and one of the largest fish species found in North America’s rivers. Scientists estimate paddlefish diverged from other fish lineages more than 310 million years ago and have changed little since.

Once found throughout the Great Lakes region, the species is now limited to the Mississippi River watershed. Its distinctive paddle-shaped snout contains sensors that detect electrical signals in the water, helping the fish locate food and navigate its environment. The paddlefish serves as a living link to the distant past, illustrating how some ancient species have survived through hundreds of millions of years of evolutionary change.

The exhibition highlights natural, cultural, scientific and historical connections from across the United States, including Missouri, and is expected to be viewed by millions of visitors during its run in Washington, D.C., through December 2029.

“This exhibition brings the entire country into one gallery,” said Kirk Johnson, Sant Director of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History. “As the country marks its 250th anniversary, ‘From These Lands’ presents an opportunity to celebrate the diversity of our landscapes, the depth of our history and the connections that link people and the natural world across borders.”

The exhibition includes fossils, minerals, scientific specimens, cultural artifacts and interactive displays designed to help visitors explore the connections between people, places and the natural world. Featured objects range from a rare blue gemstone from California and a Northern bobwhite collected by a young Theodore Roosevelt to Indigenous cultural objects and specimens tied to major scientific discoveries and conservation efforts.

Organized around themes such as biodiversity, geology, state symbols, Indigenous traditions, environmental change and ecosystem restoration, the exhibition also features animated maps and digital interactives that allow visitors to explore shared natural features and state symbols from across the nation.

“From These Lands” is part of the Smithsonian-wide initiative “Our Shared Future: 250,” which commemorates the nation’s semiquincentennial. Related programming will include lectures, family activities, hands-on events, a companion book and an online version of the exhibition.

Opened in 1910, the National Museum of Natural History is one of the world’s most visited natural history museums and offers free admission to the public.

LINCOLN, NEB — With less than 1% of Nebraska’s native tallgrass prairie remaining, Lincoln officials say a newly acquired tract of land could help preserve a disappearing part of the state’s landscape while expanding outdoor recreation opportunities for future generations.

Mayor Leirion Gaylor Baird and city leaders announced the purchase of nearly 100 acres southwest of Pioneers Park for $924,630 through a partnership involving the City of Lincoln, the Lower Platte South Natural Resources District, and Solidago Conservancy.

The acquisition advances the Prairie Corridor on Haines Branch project, a long-term effort to establish a continuous conservation and recreation corridor stretching from Pioneers Park Nature Center in Lincoln to the Spring Creek Prairie Audubon Center near Denton.

Mayor Leirion Gaylor Baird said the project will provide additional opportunities for residents and visitors to experience Nebraska’s prairie landscape while protecting natural resources.

“Advancing the Prairie Corridor, we create more opportunities for residents and visitors to hike, bike, explore nature, and experience the beautiful landscape that defines our region,” Gaylor Baird said. “We protect vital natural resources that improve water quality and help reduce flood risk downstream, and we preserve an important part of Nebraska’s natural heritage for future generations.”

The newly acquired Prairie Corridor Link property is intended to help connect Pioneers Park Nature Center and Spring Creek Prairie Audubon Center through a continuous protected prairie and trail system.

Plans for the Prairie Corridor include restoring over 5,000 acres of prairie lands (~2,000 acres of tallgrass prairie, and ~3,400 acres of native prairie) and constructing a 14.5-mile multiuse trail that will connect to Lincoln’s existing trail network.

“This property is a piece of a long-term vision to connect Pioneers Park Nature Center and Spring Creek Prairie Audubon Center through a continuous corridor, protected prairie, and trail,” Gaylor Baird said.

Parks and Recreation Director Maggie Stuckey-Ross said approximately over a majority of the Prairie Corridor Trail project has now been secured.

“Once complete, the corridor will include a continuous 7,400-acre passage of tallgrass prairie and a 14.5-mile multiuse trail, and in just nine years, nearly 70% of the Prairie Corridor trail corridor has been secured,” Stuckey-Ross said.

Project leaders say the Prairie Corridor has the potential to become a destination for hikers, cyclists, students, and nature enthusiasts from across Nebraska while helping preserve one of the state’s rarest ecosystems for future generations.

More information about the Prairie Corridor on Haines Branch is available at PrairieCorridor.org.