Monday Practice Report



By Philip Rossman-Reich
Lynx Writer

The Minnesota Lynx return to the Target Center on Tuesday after going 1-2 on the team's West Coast road swing. Minnesota has faced some adversity this season, first adjusting to a pre-season coaching change and now adjusting to the loss of leading scorer Seimone Augustus for the season.

The Lynx lost their last two games on the road trip, struggling after Augustus went down in the second quarter against Phoenix on Wednesday. Coach Jennifer Gillom said the team struggled to adjust in its 90-62 loss to Seattle on Friday to close the trip. She said she feels confident the team is ready to put the loss behind them after two strong days of practice.

"The girls are really motivated to go out and prove that they can step up and look over the situation and see what we need to do to overcome the Augustus loss," Gillom said. "I thought the practice was really intense compared to a team that played Seattle the other day. You can see the mood has changed, they were very down at the Seattle game. I saw two great practices where this team is ready to play. Hopefully that's a great sign for us. We've been through adversity before, now it's time to pick it up."

The Lynx will get that chance Tuesday night against the Liberty, who are fresh off their first two wins of the season last weekend. Gillom said the team was visibly crushed after Augustus' injury, but the mood has changed. Augustus was at practice Monday and gave the team an emotional lift.

Still it will take time for the team to adjust to its new roles. Guard Candice Wiggins said the team cannot rely on just one person to step in to fill Augustus' place on the team. The Lynx will need a team effort to get the job done.

"It takes a little bit of time to adjust," guard Candice Wiggins said. "I have been on lots of teams where we've lost great players on the team. I remember when I left my Stanford team in college, they got together and they had confidence in themselves and everyone stepped up into a bigger role. It just happens on teams. You've got one great player, but that's not the only thing on the team.

The task for Minnesota is now finding a way to replace at least part of what Augustus did. Center Nicky Anosike said she definitely noticed a difference in the way the Storm defended the Lynx without Augustus in the lineup. For Minnesota to adjust, she and center Charde Houston have to adjust the way they play for the team to recapture its early-season success.

"We were always pretty much able to do what we could against our own player," Anosike said. "Now we are having to struggle against people just packing it in the paint against us. It's tough. It's something we haven't seen last year or this year. The first game was a struggle, but I think we learned a lot against Seattle without Siemone and I think we'll be better prepared tomorrow."

Houston said the team has to stay together and work together to get a win Tuesday.

"It's not about New York, it's about us," Houston said. "It's about trusting and believing one another. If we look to each other and support each other, we can accomplish the impossible."

Jennifer Gillom Audio
Minnesota had a rough game against Seattle on Friday hours after learning star Seimone Augustus will miss the rest of the season with a torn ACL. But coach Jennifer Gillom is confident the team is ready to move on and expects a better performance Tuesday against the Liberty.

John Focke with Charde Houston
Houston said she knows it will take a team effort to replace Seimone Augustus' big shoes. If the team works together to take her place, then the Lynx can still achieve their goals this season.

Candice Wiggins Audio
Wiggins said replacing Augustus is something everyone on the team has got to take on. But Wiggins said she believes she will be taking on the biggest load to try to replace Augustus.

John Focke with Renee Montgomery
Montgomery said coming home has helped the Lynx regroup after losing Augustus for the season.

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