Lynx 73 (24-6) � Mystics 56 (5-24)
MENZIE HENDERSON
Lynx Writer
Box Score
How it Happened
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Despite facing one of the worst teams in the WNBA and receiving an incredible first half performance from Whalen, the Minnesota Lynx could not break loose from the lowly Washington Mystics until the middle of the third quarter. At the six-minute mark in the third, the Lynx held a narrow 40-39 lead. That�s when Cheryl Reeve gave the nod to her reserves and their response on the hardwood was tremendous.
Behind efforts from Jess Adair, Monica Wright, and Amber Harris, the reserves brought back the defensive tenacity and found ways to execute on the offensive end. The bench held Washington scoreless over the next eight minutes and closed out the third period on a 13-0 run.
"We want contributions from players one to eleven," said Maya Moore. "Every night we want that to happen and the more we see those contributions from everyone, the more confident our entire team will be heading into the postseason."
After the third quarter rally, the run extended to 24-5 in the fourth, as Whalen and the rest of the starters kicked back, relaxed, and celebrated their teammates work. The Minnesota Lynx bench continued to pour it on to take the 73-56 win at Target Center.
Leader of the Pack
Lindsay Whalen put the team on her back by scoring 17 of her game-high 21 points in the first half. Whether it was providing buckets or getting teammates involved, Whalen did it all for the Minnesota Lynx and turned in another MVP caliber performance tonight.
Notable Performance
There may have been some concern of the depth at the center position coming into the season, but tonight Jess Adair continued to prove the speculations wrong. Adair was impressive in the post and helped the Lynx dominate points in the paint 46-24 with 10 points on 4-of-4 shooting.
Rookie Report
Maya Moore got off to a quick start in the opening period with seven early points, but cooled off to finish with 9.
Highlight to Remember
In the first quarter, Lindsay Whalen and Maya Moore connected for a quarterback to receiver type of play. Whalen caught the outlet pass and immediately looked up the floor to find a cutting Moore open. Whalen slinged a perfect one-handed pass through a narrow window of defenders to Moore where she capped off the highlight play with an easy left-handed layup.
The Numbers Game
With 24 wins and four games remaining on its regular season schedule, Minnesota has a chance to tie the WNBA single-season record for wins (28). The 2000 and 2001 Los Angeles Sparks won 28, while the Seattle Storm finished 28-6 last season en route to winning the WNBA Championship.
Looking Ahead: Playoff Picture
The Lynx will stay home for several days of practice before taking on the New York Liberty at Target Center on Friday night. The Lynx� magic number to clinch home court advantage through the 2011 WNBA Playoffs is now just one after the Indiana Fever fell to the Atlanta Dream tonight.
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