Silver Stars-Lynx Preview

By KATE HEDLIN
Posted Sep 19 2011 5:15PM

The Minnesota Lynx worked hard during the regular season to assure themselves of home-court advantage throughout the playoffs. They'll find out how valuable that is in a deciding Game 3 of the Western Conference semifinals Tuesday night against the San Antonio Silver Stars.

The Lynx finished the regular season with the league's best record and easily cruised to the Western Conference title, finishing six games ahead of second-place Seattle.

But Minnesota - trying to win its first postseason series in franchise history - is in danger of bowing out in the first round after San Antonio evened the best-of-three series with an 84-75 win Sunday.

"San Antonio succeeded in putting the pressure back on us," coach Cheryl Reeve said. "We fought all season to have home-court advantage. Win the home games, and you're the WNBA champion."

The Lynx have struggled offensively in the series. After averaging 81.5 points during the regular season, they've been held below that mark while shooting under 40 percent from the field in both postseason games.

Minnesota needs more from WNBA rookie of the year Maya Moore, who has struggled to find her rhythm in this series. She's averaged 13.0 points in the two games - just off her season average of 13.2 - but is shooting 38.5 percent (10 for 26), well off her regular season mark of 43.9 percent.

After a disappointing loss, she and the Lynx will try to bounce back at home, where they have won 11 of 12 and are 15-3 overall.

The Silver Stars, however, feel like momentum may be in their favor.

San Antonio, which had lost seven in a row to Minnesota before Sunday's win, gained confidence in the 66-65 road defeat that opened this series.

"That game taught us we could beat this team, we could compete with them," said Jia Perkins, who scored 24 points Sunday.

Perkins scored 10 points in Game 1, but was sharp Sunday, making 4 of 6 3-pointers while shooting 9 of 18 overall. She also had four steals as San Antonio forced 17 turnovers.

"I think just getting in a rhythm before the game, getting some shots up, really helped me," Perkins said. "I knew in the game, I was going to have some open looks. I knew last game I had open looks, but I wasn't able to hit them down. Coming in, I had my mindset right, and I just wanted to knock them down for the team."

The Silver Stars, who have won four of five overall, are looking to advance out of the first round for the first time since reaching the WNBA finals in 2008. They lost in the semifinals each of the last two years.

The Silver Stars have lost four straight road games in the series, but two of the three losses this season have been by a combined three points.

Augustus leads Lynx to 1st playoff series victory

By JON KRAWCZYNSKI
Posted Sep 20 2011 11:30PM

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) The Minnesota Lynx bulldozed the rest of the WNBA in the regular season, rarely tested while posting a 27-7 record that was six games better than the next closest team.

The San Antonio Silver Stars gave the No. 1 seed in the playoffs all they could handle in the first round, and that's just what the Lynx say they needed.

Seimone Augustus had 22 points and the Lynx beat the Silver Stars 85-67 on Tuesday night for the first playoff series victory in franchise history.

``I'm extremely happy that we were tested in the first round because you want to have an attitude of urgency throughout the playoffs,'' said Taj McWilliams-Franklin, who scored 16 points. ``I think this put us back on our heels, the first two games, and now we can be prepared for the level that each team is going to play with against us.''

Rebekkah Brunson added 15 points and nine rebounds and Maya Moore had 14 points, six rebounds and four assists for the Lynx, who advance to play the Phoenix Mercury in the Western Conference finals. Game 1 is Thursday in Minnesota.

Sophia Young scored 17 points for the Silver Stars on 7-of-8 shooting. San Antonio turned the ball over 17 times, leading to 24 Lynx points, and was outrebounded 36-21.

Becky Hammon added 15 points and five assists, but she was the only other Stars player in double figures.

``This basketball team that we played has the ability to get to a level right now that is just awful good,'' Stars coach Dan Hughes said.

The Lynx, who own home-court advantage throughout the playoffs after dominating the league during the regular season, finally gave the tortured sports fans of Minnesota something to cheer about. The Vikings and Timberwolves were last-place teams and the Twins have the worst record in the American League.

So the fans are starting to rally around the Lynx.

``We didn't want to let you down!'' Moore hollered to the crowd of 8,700 after the game.

In the deciding Game 3, the Lynx overcame an uncharacteristically quiet game from star point guard Lindsay Whalen, who finished with four points and three assists. The hometown girl didn't make her first shot until early in the fourth quarter, but she had plenty of help.

The other four starters scored in double figures and the Lynx shot 51 percent to turn a tense game in the first quarter into a rout.

``It's like other things that happened this year,'' Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve said of their first playoff win. ``It's great, but the goal isn't necessarily just to win a round. There's a bigger prize in mind.''

The Lynx got off to another slow start in this one, falling behind 10-2 in the first three minutes against a Silver Stars team that gave them more trouble than any other team during their dominant regular season. San Antonio lost all four games in the season series, but twice took them down to the buzzer.

It was more of the same in the first two games of the playoffs, with Whalen getting a steal on an inbounds pass at the end of Game 1 to preserve a 66-65 victory before the Silver Stars cruised to an 84-75 win in Game 2 in San Antonio.

``It's an accomplishment for the Minnesota Lynx, for the organization and (owner) Glen Taylor and the fans of Minnesota,'' McWilliams-Franklin said. ``And it's a relief because the Minnesota Lynx have never won a playoff series, so you're kind of relieved.''

The Lynx shrugged off a 1-for-5 start to rip off runs of 10-0 and 17-0 over the next 11 minutes to build a 35-22 lead. McWilliams-Franklin, the 41-year-old center and emotional leader, got the team started, hitting a pair of jumpers from the left wing and diving on the floor to secure a loose ball and inject some much-needed energy.

``The fact that we hadn't won a three-game series before, it kind of shows our guts and our toughness,'' Augustus said.

• Silver Stars: --
• Lynx: --

• Silver Stars: --
• Lynx: --

• Lead Changes: 3
• Times Tied: 3

• Arena: Target Center, Minneapolis, MN
• Officials: #55 Eric Brewton, #42 Roy Gulbeyan, #44 Felicia Grinter
• Attendance: 8734
• Duration: 1:57