Fever-Lynx Preview

By ALAN FERGUSON
Posted Sep 16 2012 3:18PM

The Indiana Fever missed an opportunity to cut their deficit in the Eastern Conference when last week's late rally against the Minnesota Lynx fell short.

Given Minnesota's sterling record at the Target Center, it would appear even more difficult for the Fever to close that gap Monday night.

Indiana, though, is one of the few teams to win on the Lynx's home floor over the last two seasons, and it will try to earn another victory in the finale of this home-and-home series.

Indiana (20-10) could have gotten to within a half-game of first-place Connecticut in the East by beating Minnesota on Friday, but was edged 66-64 by the league's leading club.

The Fever trailed by six points with 2:19 remaining but tied the game when Briann January, who scored a team-best 16 points, hit a layup with 23.5 seconds left. Minnesota's Lindsay Whalen, though, played the hero for her team as she banked in a shot with 1.6 seconds to go.

The Lynx were coming off an 83-70 loss at Chicago that snapped an 11-game win streak, their longest single-season run in franchise history.

"That was a good bounce-back game for us," Whalen said. "Although Indy's tough in Indy, we were able to stay with them."

Indiana, the league's top 3-point shooting team at 40.4 percent, missed 16 of 18 from beyond the arc.

"Give them credit. They're the defending champs for a reason," Fever guard/forward Katie Douglas said. "We've just got to regroup. Obviously, we can get better and learn from this and be ready to go again out there in Minnesota."

Indiana, 10-3 since the Olympic break, is seeking to get some momentum going into a visit to Connecticut on Wednesday.

That will be a challenge as Minnesota (25-5) is 34-4 at the Target Center over the last two seasons, including last year's run to the WNBA title, and 15-1 there in 2012. Friday's victory helped the Lynx clinch home-court advantage throughout the upcoming playoffs.

"Winning your home games is absolutely of paramount importance," coach Cheryl Reeve told the team's official website.

The Fever dealt the Lynx one of those rare home defeats, 78-75 on June 26, 2011, and have prevailed in three consecutive visits. Douglas scored five of her team-best 22 points in the final 1:40 last year in Minnesota and Jeanette Pohlen converted a pair of late free throws.

The Lynx enter this game having won six of nine overall matchups with Indiana and seven consecutive home games, but leading scorer Seimone Augustus could miss a fourth straight contest. Augustus, averaging 17.2 points, is dealing with a sprained right foot.

Maya Moore leads Lynx past Fever, 86-79

Posted Sep 17 2012 11:11PM

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) Maya Moore made five her six 3-pointers in the third quarter to tie the WNBA record and had a career-high 29 points in the Minnesota Lynx's 86-79 victory over the Indiana Fever on Monday night.

``The coaching staff just made me aware of what actually happened. In the moment, you're just playing,'' Moore said. ``I was just trying to be aggressive and its one of those nights where the shot is feeling good, so you keep shooting.''

Moore matched Phoenix star Diana Taurasi's WNBA record for 3-pointers in a quarter set in 2010.

The defending champion Lynx completed their home schedule with a franchise-record 16-1 mark and improved to 26-5 overall. They will finish the regular season with three road games.

Lindsay Whalen added 13 points, eight rebounds and six assists for Minnesota, which has already clinched home-court advantage throughout the playoffs.

With the loss, the Fever (20-11) dropped out of contention for the top seed in the Eastern Conference. Tamika Catchings led Indiana with 19 points and 10 rebounds, Katie Douglas added 17 points, Briann January had 14, and Jessica Davenport 13.

``It was too bad we couldn't do some things down the stretch,'' Fever coach Lin Dunn said. ``We need to stay healthy. We don't need to lose two starters and play the fourth quarter with two starters going down, especially our starting point guard.''

The Lynx trailed by as many as 14 points in the first half and were down 62-52 with 4:07 remaining in the third quarter. But Moore hit three of her five 3 pointers in the quarter over the next 3 minutes and Minnesota tied it entering the fourth.

The Lynx forced five fourth-quarter turnovers to take control.

Seimone Augustus returned from a three-game absence due to a sprained right foot and scored eight points on 3-for-11 shooting. Devereaux Peters also finished in double figures for Minnesota with 10.

Indiana's Shavonte Zellous took a blow to the head with less than 30 seconds remaining in the first half and didn't return due to concussion-like symptoms. January sustained an apparent injury with 4:47 to play and was helped to the locker room. She did not return.

Minnesota's victory assured the Connecticut Sun of the Eastern Conference's No. 1 seed.

The Fever have clinched the No. 2 seed and home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs against the third-seeded and defending Eastern Conference champion Atlanta Dream.

• Fever: --
• Lynx: --

• Fever: Catchings
• Lynx: --

• Lead Changes: 7
• Times Tied: 2

• Arena: Target Center, Minneapolis, MN
• Officials: #38 Lamont Simpson, #8 Daryl Humphrey, #31 Amy Bonner
• Attendance: 9523
• Duration: 1:49