Lynx-Mystics Preview

By NOEY KUPCHAN
Posted May 29 2012 1:53PM

The defending champion Minnesota Lynx have picked up right where they left off last season.

Unfortunately for the turnover-plagued Washington Mystics, they have done the same.

Minnesota can match the best start in franchise history as it visits the Mystics on Wednesday night.

If their early season efforts are any indication, the Lynx look could be in for another special year. Averaging a league-high 90.3 points, Minnesota has outscored opponents by 15.3 per contest in winning its first four games.

The only time the Lynx, who entered the league in 1999, went deeper into a season without a loss was a 5-0 start in 2008.

Dating to 2011, Minnesota has won 10 straight and 20 of 22 - including last year's championship run.

"Ending the season the way we did was definitely a great feeling, but I don't know if we're necessarily looking back at last season," said Maya Moore, last season's rookie of the year. "We're looking at it as momentum, but we're not looking at it as we don't have to work hard anymore. I mean, it's a new year. We're trying to start new runs. We're trying to do some new things with the same group. So, one step closer."

Minnesota continued its prowess Sunday with an 84-71 victory over Seattle. Moore scored a game-high 19 points for the Lynx, who took a 17-9 lead into the second quarter and never looked back.

"This game was important because it was our next one," said Seimone Augustus, averaging a team-high 19.0 points. "The game we play against the Mystics is going to be important because it's the game we're facing the next game. It's just about mental focus and I think we're all coming together well now."

Minnesota had its way with Washington (1-1) last season, taking the two matchups by an average of 18.0 points.

The Mystics, who lost 13 of their final 14 games in 2011, averaged 16.9 turnovers last year - third-worst in the league. Their sloppy play seems to have carried over into 2012.

After committing 23 turnovers in a 69-57 loss to Chicago on May 19, Washington managed to overcome a whopping 32 on Saturday to beat Tulsa 64-61.

"Obviously (I am) happy we were able to execute down the stretch and pull out the win," coach Trudi Lacey said. "However I was not pleased with the types of turnovers and the number of turnovers we committed. Very simply, we have to make better decisions with the basketball."

Guard Matee Ajavon, who sat out the season opener due to a sore knee, had a game-high 19 points and four steals off the bench Saturday. Center Crystal Langhorne added 14 points and 10 rebounds.

Ajavon's 14.7 points per game last season ranked second on the team to Langhorne's mark of 18.2.

"It was very nice to have Matee back," Lacey said. "She provides us with a lot of energy. She is tough and that's what I've asked them to be."

Washington hasn't posted back-to-back victories since winning its final six games in 2010.

Whalen's layup gives Lynx 79-77 win over Mystics

Posted May 30 2012 10:45PM

WASHINGTON (AP) The WNBA champion Minnesota Lynx have shown they can win big while jumping out to an undefeated start. The Lynx's victory proved they can also survive.

Lindsay Whalen put back her own miss with a second remaining to give Minnesota a 79-77 win over the Washington Mystics on Wednesday night after the Lynx blew a 24-point lead.

Maya Moore and Rebekkah Brunson led the Lynx (5-0) with 16 points and Seimone Augustus added 15. Minnesota shot 65.6 percent (21 of 32) in the first half and led 59-35 with 6:36 remaining in the third quarter before turnovers and inspired play by the Mystics changed the flow.

The Mystics used a 21-4 run to pull closer at 63-54 late in the third quarter, tied the game at 68 on Matee Ajavon's jumper with 6:27 remaining and took their first lead at 73-72 on Michelle Snow's layup with 3:25 left.

After an exchange of baskets, Whalen, who scored all 11 of her points in the second half and the Lynx' final seven, tied the game at 75 with a free throw. She hit two more with 42.9 seconds left after Minnesota extended a possession with three offensive rebounds.

Mystics forward Crystal Langhorne's layup with 25 seconds left tied it at 77. Whalen, the Lynx's point guard, found room on the right corner and attempted a driving runner that missed. After an ensuing rebounding scrum, the ball wound up back in the 5-foot-9 Whalen's hands near the basket. She did not miss her second chance at the win.

``I figured if I could just get in the lane, something good would happen,'' said Whalen, who finished with seven assists but six of the Lynx's 18 turnovers. ``I ended up missing the first one. Somehow the ball came back to me and I was able to get it up high enough to go in.''

Devereaux Peters blocked Mystics center Ashley Robinson's long jumper at the buzzer as the Lynx extended their franchise-record road-winning streak to seven games.

Ajavon led the Mystics (1-2) with 20 points, 14 coming in the second half.

``We're going to win the game, that's what we're thinking,'' said Langhorne, who finished with 12 points. ``It was that possession; we couldn't get a defensive rebound. Then Lindsay has the ball, shoots, gets her own offensive rebound and scores with 1 second left. It's tough.''

Minnesota matched a franchise record and became the 10th team in WNBA history to open a season with five straight victories. Dating back to last season, the Lynx have won 11 straight and their first four victories this season were by an average of 15.3 points.

The latest win nearly slipped away as the Mystics to shot 56.7 percent (17 of 30) from the field after halftime.

``They were aggressive, they were hitting their shots'','' Moore said. We didn't do the things we normally do on either end. It was a bad combination, but I'm glad I have great teammates that will step up in the clutch.''

Both teams suffered scoring droughts. Washington held Minnesota without a point for the opening 4:33 of the fourth quarter. That came after the Lynx kept Mystics without a field goal for over seven minutes and 11 seconds during a 24-2 first half run. Minnesota led by 14 points after the first quarter and 51-31 at halftime.

``We were able to get stops and run,'' Whalen said. ``When the stops stop going, it's harder to run and get easy baskets.Hopefully we do a better a job playing the whole 40 minutes because today it felt like we played 20 and thought it was over.''

Washington, coming off a win over Tulsa on Saturday, has not won consecutive games since winning their final six regular season games in 2010. Dating back to last season, the Mystics have lost 15 of 17 games.

``We never quit,'' Mystics Coach Trudi Lacey said. ``In a lot of ways, we simply ran out of time. We didn't lose the game.

• Lynx: --
• Mystics: --

• Lynx: --
• Mystics: --

• Lead Changes: 4
• Times Tied: 3

• Arena: Verizon Center, Washington, DC
• Officials: #8 Daryl Humphrey, #44 Felicia Grinter, #28 Angellica Suffren
• Attendance: 8131
• Duration: 1:53