Storm-Minnesota Series Recap

Jackson scored 30+ for the first of three times this season.
Jeff Reinking/NBAE/Getty

	Minnesota	36	49	85
	at Storm	39	49	88

It may have been the season opener for the Minnesota Lynx and the Seattle Storm on May 20, but the game was played at an intensity level more befitting a September showdown with a playoff spot on the line. Maybe that’s because an early-season loss to the Lynx at KeyArena last June kept the Storm out of the playoffs. Seattle wanted to avoid a repeat, and that proved to be quite difficult. The Storm led throughout the first half, but a late Minnesota run cut the halftime margin to three. The Lynx stormed out of the locker room with a 15-2 run early in the second half to take control of the game, but the Storm had the answer in MVP Lauren Jackson. Seattle trailed 70-66 with just under four minutes left when Jackson started to go off. Over a five-minute stretch, she scored 13 straight Storm points. Still, the Storm trailed 82-81 when Jackson completed a three-point play with 1:23 left to put the home team up to. The teams traded free throws, giving Minnesota the ball down two with 23.4 seconds left. Minnesota's Teresa Edwards, who scored a then-career-high 17 points, was stripped by Lennox. The Lynx still had life, answering two Storm free throws with a Katie Smith layup. Sue Bird left the door open when she split two free throws with 11 seconds left, giving Minnesota a chance to tie with a three, but rookie Tasha Butts' attempt was off and time ran out before the Lynx could get another shot as the Storm escaped with the 88-85 win. Jackson finished with 31 points, surpassing 30 for the fourth time in her career. Lynx rookie Nicole Ohlde had 16 points and 10 rebounds for the first double-double of her career, while Edwards and Smith had 17 apiece to lead Minnesota.

	Storm	30	40	70
	at Minnesota	26	29	55

On Jul. 30, the Storm traveled to Minnesota hoping to put a 25-point loss to Houston three days earlier in the rear-view mirror. The Storm got a break when the Lynx's leading scorer, Smith, was placed on the injured list earlier in the week with a knee injury. Even without Smith, the Lynx hung tough in the first half, and the Storm had to score the last six points of the half to take a lead to halftime. After Jackson scored to start the second half, Helen Darling answered with a three. And that was about it for the Lynx. The Storm went on a 9-2 run and quickly pushed the lead to 16 points. To their credit, Minnesota's reserves kept fighting and did a good job defending the Storm, but, in Smith's absence, the Lynx simply couldn't put enough points on the board. Seattle cruised to a 70-55 victory, winning the season series against Minnesota with a pair of wins and just one game remaining. Lennox's 23-point effort helped make up for an off night for Jackson, who scored a season-low 11 points. Backup center Vanessa Hayden (12 points, six boards) was the only Lynx player to score double-figures.

Aggressive Lynx defense held Jackson in check on Sep. 10.
David Sherman/NBAE/Getty

	Storm	33	28	61
	at Minnesota	27	37	64

The Storm started a three-game road trip in Minnesota Sep. 10 looking for a sweep of the season series with the Lynx. The hosts started out hot behind the play of Edwards, who outscored the Storm 8-6 by herself in the early going, hitting a pair of three-pointers. However, in a situation reminiscent of the first meeting between these teams in Minneapolis, the Storm walked down Minnesota and eventually took a six-point lead at the half on a Lennox buzzer-beater. Seattle would boost the lead to nine early in the second half before the Lynx got going. Minnesota's aggressive defense held the Storm scoreless for over five minutes as the Lynx reeled off 17 straight points to go from down nine to up eight. Still, the Storm was able to tie the game on a Bird three-point play with five and a half minutes left in the game. After Seattle went up four, Minnesota answered with five straight points to take a one-point lead with 1:07 to play. A Lennox drive ended up in a missed shot, and Bird surprisingly fouled Darling with 49 seconds left on the clock. She split two free throws, but Minnesota came up with a key offensive board and the Storm fouled again instead of playing defense. Edwards hit both free throws to put the Lynx up four. Bird hit two free throws and then Seattle got a break when Edwards was whistled for a backcourt violation, giving the Storm the ball down two with 21 seconds left. Janell Burse turned the ball over, but the Storm still had yet another chance to tie down three with seven seconds to play after Darling split another pair of free throws. Lennox's tying three attempt was off, and the Storm ran out of second chances, falling 64-61. Bird (15) and Jackson (12) were the only Storm players in double-figures. Edwards had a career-high 18 points (she had previously set her career-high against the Storm and her former coach in the ABL, Anne Donovan, on opening night this year) to lead four Lynx double-figure scorers. The teams combined for a Lynx-record 47 turnovers in one of the sloppiest games of the season.

Storm-Minnesota Leaders

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