Olivia Miles Adds 3-Point Record to Remarkable Rookie Start in Lynx Win
Rookie guard Olivia Miles continued her season of brilliance with the Minnesota Lynx as she broke a single-game rookie record during their latest matchup against the Golden State Valkyries. She would splash home eight 3-pointers on 11 tries in the Thursday-night bout, the most 3-pointers made by a rookie in a single game in league history, in a close battle that saw the Lynx hit 50% of their 3-point shots.
Olivia Miles was 2 for 18 on 3s entering today.
— Alexa Philippou (@alexaphilippou) June 5, 2026
She has made 8 of 11 attempts so far tonight against the Valkyries.
That’s the most 3s made by a rookie in a single game in league history.
Miles passed Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark and former New York Liberty forward Crystal Robinson for the rookie record. Clark hit seven 3-point shots in one game in 2024, while Robinson hit the same mark in 1999. Miles has continued to show flashes of brilliance after ending her regular-season debut against the Atlanta Dream with 21 points and eight assists.
Her recent 3-point barrage led a Lynx squad that ranks second in the league in 3-point percentage at just over 38%. Golden State continued its early 3-point turnaround with 14 makes on 37 tries from long range in the Thursday matchup. Miles entered the night with two made 3-pointers on 18 attempts this season, but looked unstoppable as she shimmied and shot her way to a season-defining performance.
A Star in the Making
Miles, the No. 2 pick in the 2026 WNBA Draft, would tack on seven assists and three blocks in what would be an 87-84 Lynx win on Thursday. She was named the league's Rookie of the Month after a season start in which she led rookies in points and assists per game. The former Notre Dame and TCU star would only keep things rolling after her stellar debut, including in a 19-point night against the Phoenix Mercury, before dropping a team-leading 28 in Minnesota's home win over the Valkyries.
The Lynx showed they can lean on Miles, who leads the roster with 6.4 assists per game, as a young captain on offense. Her recent confidence from the 3-point line, along with her fit with the league-leading Lynx, is a testament to her ability to be a foundational guard for the Midwestern squad for the foreseeable future.
"It's a lot of inner work to believe in yourself and constantly remind yourself that you deserve to be where you're at," Miles said in a postgame conference. "I think it's also a mix of the environment that I'm in. The support that I have here to let me be me, to go out there and hoop and be myself, it allows me to be comfortable.
"(Lynx Head Coach Cheryl Reeve) has my back, my teammates have my back. It's easy when you have that kind of support."
The top-ranked squad continues to excel as they near the quarter portion of their 2026 regular-season run. The Thursday-night win paved the way for a league-leading record of 8-2 and a commanding 2-0 start to their Commissioner's Cup run. The Lynx hold a 6-game win streak after starting the season at 2-2, which they'll have the chance to continue as they face the Seattle Storm in their third Cup bout.
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Alex Sabri began contributing to Women's Fastbreak On SI in May 2026. He also covers Ohio and Detroit sports for On SI and the BIGPLAY Sports Network.The Purdue and Cleveland State graduate has over four years of journalism and sports media experience across collegiate and professional sports and local coverage.Though he specializes in covering professional hoops, his interests include the WNBA, NBA, NFL, Cleveland Guardians and college football and basketball.
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