Sun-Lynx Preview

By BRETT HUSTON
Posted Jul 08 2011 6:53PM

Connecticut Sun coach Mike Thibault says his team is still learning how to win, but right now its recipe for success is pretty simple - give the ball to Tina Charles and get out of the way.

The league's reigning Rookie of the Year is playing like an MVP frontrunner, a case she'll look to build as she tries to lead the visiting Sun to a third straight win Saturday night against the Minnesota Lynx.

Charles averaged 15.5 points and a league-best 11.7 rebounds as a rookie, but she's become an even more effective scorer in her second season.

She's upped her average to 19.8 points - second-best in the Eastern Conference - and when Charles gets close to that mark, the Sun have tended to find success.

Connecticut is 6-1 when Charles scores at least 18 points after she finished with 20 points and 10 rebounds - her fifth straight double-double - and helped her team hang on for a 75-70 win over Seattle on July 1.

"We've won high intensity games and they're learning how to win," Thibault said. "We made enough mistakes so I can show them the parts we need to improve on."

Charles, averaging 10.9 rebounds, doesn't need to work on much. She was named the East's player of the month for June on Tuesday while also garnering her second player of the week award.

Connecticut could stand to improve its play on the road, however. While the victory over the Storm bumped the Sun's record to 5-0 at Mohegan Sun Arena, they're 1-3 away from home.

They've also lost their last two on the road against Minnesota (6-3), including a wild 111-103 overtime defeat Aug. 3. Connecticut (6-3) got 19 points and 21 boards from Charles, 33 points from Renee Montgomery and rallied from a 30-point deficit to force the extra five minutes before fading.

Lynx guard Lindsay Whalen had 27 points and 12 assists in that matchup with her former team, and she made sure Minnesota didn't let a 30-point lead slip away June 30 at Tulsa. Whalen had a season-high 21 points as the Lynx routed the Shock 101-71.

"She was the key to our transition game," coach Cheryl Reeve said. "She was really, really locked in from the get-go. There's no better guard in the league at attacking the basket than Lindsay."

While the backcourt of Whalen, Maya Moore and Seimone Augustus presents a big challenge for Montgomery and her fellow guards, the key matchup figures to come in the paint.

Minnesota's Rebekkah Brunson is the only player averaging more rebounds (11.7) than Charles, and she's a big reason the Lynx have a plus-7.11 margin per game on the boards - easily the league's best.

An inability to keep the Sun off the glass paved the way for the comeback in the teams' last meeting, though. Connecticut outrebounded Minnesota 51-35, grabbing 24 offensive boards.

Moore scores 26 to lead Lynx past Sun

Posted Jul 09 2011 9:59PM

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) Rookie Maya Moore scored a season-high 26 points, and Seimone Augustus added 20 as the Minnesota Lynx beat the Connecticut Sun 90-67 on Saturday night.

Rebekkah Brunson added 12 points and 10 rebounds to help Minnesota (7-3) pull into a tie with San Antonio for first place in the Western Conference.

Renee Montgomery scored 14 points to lead Connecticut (6-4). Tina Charles was held to just six points and eight rebounds.

The Lynx outscored the Sun 23-6 in the third quarter to pull away for their second straight win and tying the best 10-game start in franchise history.

Moore, the No. 1 overall pick in this year's WNBA draft, led Minnesota's third-quarter push with seven points. She finished 6 for 9 on 3-pointers.

• Sun: --
• Lynx: --

• Sun: --
• Lynx: --

• Lead Changes: 7
• Times Tied: 10

• Arena: Target Center, Minneapolis, MN
• Officials: #38 Lamont Simpson, #24 Tony Dawkins, #43 Brenda Pantoja
• Attendance: 8205
• Duration: 1:41