Lynx-Mercury Preview

By MATT BEARDMORE
Posted Aug 08 2011 3:58PM

Minnesota Lynx guard Seimone Augustus said her team is trying to reach the level set by the two-time champion Phoenix Mercury. But so far, the Lynx are setting the standard for the WNBA in 2011.

The league-best Lynx try to extend their franchise-best winning streak to 10 on Tuesday night in Phoenix, where they'll go for a club-record eighth road victory.

After Minnesota (16-4) used an 11-0 run to open the fourth quarter to defeat the visiting Mercury 90-73 last Tuesday, Augustus talked about the growing rivalry between these clubs.

"They've proven themselves and won championships (in 2007 and '09), and we want to be where they are," she said after scoring 21 points. "If we're going to pick a fight, we're going to pick a fight with the best in the West."

Minnesota has gone six years since its last postseason appearance, but coach Cheryl Reeve's team has held the top spot in the West since moving one-half game ahead of Phoenix (11-9) with a 106-98 road victory July 20. The win snapped the Mercury's season-best six-game winning streak.

The Lynx, undefeated since a 112-105 home loss to Phoenix on July 13, matched a franchise record Sunday with their seventh road win, 84-78 over Los Angeles. Minnesota has also won a club-best five in a row away from home.

"We're playing together," said All-Star point guard Lindsay Whalen, seven points shy of becoming the sixth player in league history with 3,000, 1,000 rebounds and 1,000 assists. "Any given night, it seems to be someone different stepping up."

That's definitely been the case in this matchup in 2011. Whalen is averaging 14.3 points and 6.3 assists in the three meetings, while Augustus (22.7 points), Rebekkah Brunson (11.7 points, 9.3 rebounds) rookie Maya Moore (17.0 points) and veteran center Taj McWilliams-Franklin (10.3 points, 9.3 boards) have made major contributions.

Mercury coach Cory Gaines expects the teams to see each other again after their final two regular-season meetings.

"The way I see it, we'll probably meet them down the line in the Western Conference championship," he said following last week's loss in Minnesota. "It should be good. I've got veterans, so we don't need home court."

But it's a little early for the Mercury to start making playoff plans. Phoenix has dropped five of six since a 10-1 run.

"We're going to go into (the Minnesota game) trying to win with the same fight and energy we went into the game today," Diana Taurasi said after scoring 29 points in Sunday's 96-95 overtime loss against Connecticut. "Improve on some things and go in there and play well."

Taurasi, the league leader with 20.6 points per game, is averaging 23.7 against the Lynx this season.

Taurasi helps Mercury end Lynx winning streak

Posted Aug 10 2011 12:43AM

PHOENIX (AP) Diana Taurasi scored 26 points and made a key steal in the final 20 seconds to help the Phoenix Mercury snap the Minnesota Lynx' franchise-best nine-game winning streak 85-80 on Tuesday.

DeWanna Bonner hit the second of two free throws with 36 seconds remaining to give Phoenix a 78-77 lead. On the Lynx' subsequent possession, Rebekkah Brunson had the ball on the baseline in traffic just a few feet from the basket but Taurasi knocked the ball away and was fouled. She hit two free throws with 19 seconds left to help Phoenix secure the victory.

Maya Moore scored 28 points and Seimone Augustus, who hit 8 of her first 9 shots, added 26 points to lead the Lynx, which had not lost since a 112-105 defeat to Phoenix on July 13. Minnesota leads the Western Conference over Phoenix and San Antonio by four games with a month left in the season.

The Mercury had lost five of their previous six games.

Penny Taylor had 13 points, six rebounds and three assists for Phoenix. Candice Dupree added 12 points and 11 rebounds for the Mercury.

Moore and Augustus combined to make 19 of 30 from the field while the rest of the team shot 26 percent. Lindsay Whalen added 15 points and six assists.

Whalen hit back-to-back 3-pointers in the first five minutes of the game, the second putting her over 3,000 points in her eight-year career. She is the sixth player in WNBA history to reach 3,000 points, 1,000 rebounds and 1,000 assists in her career.

Augustus also passed the 3,000-point mark on Tuesday, tying Taurasi as the fastest player to reach the milestone (151 games). It marked the first time in league history a pair of teammates reached that plateau in the same game.

This was also the second time two players did it in the same game according to research by the Elias Sports Bureau that was provided to the WNBA. Sparks forward DeLisha Milton-Jones and Houston's Tamecka Dixon both got to 3,000 on July 20, 2007.

Moore hit two free throws with 4:19 to tie the game at 71 and the second of two with 48 seconds left to tie it at 77.

She hit three 3-pointers in the third quarter to help the Lynx grab a 64-62 lead going into the final period.

• Lynx: --
• Mercury: --

• Lynx: --
• Mercury: Dupree

• Lead Changes: 12
• Times Tied: 6

• Arena: US Airways Center, Phoenix, AZ
• Officials: #39 Michael Price, #35 Billy Smith, #53 Jeff Smith
• Attendance: 6726
• Duration: 2:02