Cheryl Reeve may have pulled the plug on the Studbudz after Lynx's collapse

Jeremy Beren

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Cheryl Reeve may have pulled the plug on the Studbudz after Lynx's collapse image

Bruce Kluckhohn-Imagn Images

The Minnesota Lynx need to lock in.

The top seed in the WNBA playoffs will feel as if they should be heading to Phoenix with a 2-0 series lead in their best-of-five semifinal matchup against the Mercury. But after letting a 20-point lead slip away in Game 2 on Tuesday night, this series is tied, 1-1 -- and the Mercury have the next two games at home. Win both, and Phoenix will reach the WNBA Finals for the first time in four years.

MORE: Napheesa Collier reveals reasons behind Lynx's shocking collapse against Mercury

However, the same could be said for the Lynx, who came agonizingly close to a record fifth WNBA championship in 2024 and want to correct the wrongs of last-season's five-game loss to the New York Liberty.

Perhaps that is why Lynx guards Natisha Hiedeman and Courtney Williams -- better known as the "Studbudz" -- are going dark for the remainder of the postseason, as their joint Instagram account revealed Thursday.

"Studbudz are very locked in for playoffs!!!" read a caption placed over a picture of Hiedeman and Williams. "We will be returning to stream upon further notice!!"

Fans on social media were quick to point the finger at Lynx head coach Cheryl Reeve, the WNBA's longest-tenured and winningest active coach, for the Studbudz's decision to hit "pause" on their near-daily Twitch streams -- which took the league by storm this season.

Hiedeman and Williams' remarkable camaraderie and irreverent takes on life in the WNBA garnered them a wide viewing audience -- punctuated by their decision to dye their hair pink and embark on a non-stop, 72-hour live stream during All-Star weekend in Indianapolis. They now boast more than 80,000 subscribers on Twitch.

Only time will tell if the streaming pause will do the trick as the Lynx try to re-establish control of their series against the Mercury. Tip-off of Friday's game is scheduled for 9:30 p.m. ET at PHX Arena.

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Jeremy Beren

Jeremy Beren is a freelance WNBA writer with The Sporting News. A Phoenix native, he is a graduate of Arizona State University's Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication, and he has a decade’s worth of sports journalism experience. Jeremy's work has appeared in publications such as Marca, SB Nation, Athlon Sports and Vice Sports. He currently lives in Fayetteville, Arkansas.