Lynx Stop Mercury's 16-Game Win Streak in 75-67 Battle






by Megan Schuster, Dane Mizutani
Web Editorial Assistants



If there were still questions to who should be the MVP of the WNBA this year, Maya Moore emphatically answered all of them in the Lynx 75-67 win over the Mercury on Thursday night at Target Center. It definitely wasn�t her most impressive game of the season, but in true MVP fashion Moore stepped up when her team needed her most.

Moore struggled for parts of the game, but like a fine wine, seemed to get better with time. She scored 12 of her game-high 20 points in the fourth quarter of the game as Minnesota pulled away down the stretch.

�I always think I need to make an impact,� Moore said when asked if she felt a larger burden in the final frame. �It�s not like I turn it on and off. I�m always trying to be on for team. I always believe that I�m going able to help my team � [and] I continued to shoot with confidence and they started to go down.�

Mercury guard Diana Taurasi, on the other hand, really the only other player in the WNBA in MVP discussions at the moment, struggled all game and finished 5-for-21 from the floor for a mere 10 points.

�You�re not going to see Diana shoot like that very often,� Mercury coach Sandy Brondello said.

Taurasi seemed flustered at times, other times frustrated, by Minnesota�s lock down defense and that contributed to her poor shooting night.

Moore wasn�t much better and finished the night 7-for-20 from the floor. She did, however, hit a pair of three-pointers midway through he fourth quarter to put her team up 62-52. Those were no doubt huge shots, but Seimone Augustus knew the game wasn�t over at that point.

�That was a great team that we played against,� Augustus said. �I think when Maya hit those back-to-back threes it kind of deflated them a little bit, but it wasn�t over. � I applaud our defense for making their night tough.�

Minnesota secured the win as Rebekkah Brunson came up with a huge steal against Taurasi in the waning seconds. Brunson didn�t play in the first two games of the season series � two losses � and was huge in this game finishing with 10 points to go along with 12 rebounds. She was instrumental in the Lynx 48-33 advantage on the boards.

�We got it from a variety of people,� Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve said of the rebounding in the game. �We�re big believers that hustle plays are big separators in games. � It was all about the hustle plays. We had a variety of players getting some 50-50 balls and that�s kind of the roadmap to winning games.�

Moore got some help from her teammates in the game as three other players scored in double figures and the bench added 14 points, but she was the ultimate closer in the win that snapped Phoenix�s 16-game winning streak � a streak that dated back to June 12.

Augustus said after the game that snapping the streak wasn�t on her team�s mind during the game.

Brondello, who was on the losing end, said while the streak was an accomplishment for her team, it by no means defined the season.

�We didn�t win a championship during the streak and we didn�t lose on tonight,� she said. �So nothing has really changed. It was one game where we can learn a lot from each other.�

Reeve made it obviously clear before Thursday�s matchup with the Mercury that she wasn�t going to let her team buy into all the hype. In a game that pitted the two best teams in the WNBA against each other, Reeve noted that a trophy wouldn�t be given out Thursday, nor would this game be the end-all-be-all in the playoff standings.

That all said, at the end of the day, Minnesota did somewhat need to win this game if it wanted any shot at the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference. A loss would drop the Lynx to 3.5 games behind the Mercury for first place � nearly insurmountable with the way the season has transpired so far. A win, however, would put them 1.5 games back and right on the heels of what has been the best team in the WNBA all season with 7 games left in the season

No. Minnesota didn�t necessarily need the game Thursday night against Phoenix, but the game did, in fact, hold a little more meaning than Reeve and the rest of her team made it seem.

That showed on the court � especially from Moore late in the game.

�They wanted it more than us tonight,� Brondello said. �They were aggressive, they were physical, and they were hungry. They�re the champions. It�s still only one game and it�s going to be a battle until the end. I know that much.�

Leader of the Pack: Maya Moore

Box Score LYNX BOXSCORE
Lynx vs. Mercury
It had to be Maya Moore. The Lynx�and especially Moore�struggled mightily shooting in the first half. Only Rebekkah Brunson had 10 points or more through the half, and both Minnesota and Phoenix�s field goal percentages were well below their norm.

But Moore came out strong in the fourth quarter and refused to fall to Phoenix for the third time this season. She scored 12 points in the fourth�finishing with 20 on the night along with nine rebounds.

�It was just about knocking down good shots,� Reeve said of Moore after the game. �She did a better job in the second half�those back-to-back 3s were obviously fun for our fans and gave us a little bit of separation. And we were able to hang on.�

Highlight of the Night

Maya Moore had a relatively quiet night by her standards�that is, until the fourth quarter. In the final 10 minutes of the game, Moore took over for her team and had a refuse to lose type of attitude.

The highlight of her game, though, came with 6:57 to play in the contest. She hit a huge 3-pointer, and then came down on the defensive end and stole the ball away from Phoenix�s Brittney Griner.

Then, on the ensuing offensive possession, Moore once again put her team on her back. She hit her second 3 in a row, putting the Lynx up 62-52. Although the Mercury would come back and get close to catching the Lynx, they couldn�t muster enough strength to fight all the way back through Minnesota�s defense. It was Moore�s offensive surge that put Minnesota up big for good, and that helped the Lynx end Phoenix�s 16-game win streak.

The Numbers Game

  • Although the Lynx and Mercury lead the league in shooting and shooting percentage, both teams shot well under their averages in the first quarter. The Lynx shot 34.8 percent in the first and Phoenix shot 27.8 percent.

  • Minnesota ended the first quarter on an 11-0 run, taking a 21-10 lead into the second quarter.

  • The Lynx outrebounded the Mercury 27-16 in the first half. The boards have been an aspect of Minnesota�s game that has improved with the return of Rebekkah Brunson, and the team sure valued her presence on the floor and her seven first half rebounds.

  • Minnesota outrebounded Phoenix 48-33 in the game, and 11-2 on the offensive boards. In a game where neither team shot well from the floor, those extra possessions came up big for the Lynx.

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  • Maya Moore led the team with 20 points, but three other Lynx players also had double-figures: Rebekkah Brunson�who had a double-double�Seimone Augustus and Lindsay Whalen.


    • Audio: Postgame Interview

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    Quotable

    �We�ve always had a rivalry with Phoenix � before the kiss, after the kiss. It�s always been a great matchup regardless of the standings. This year it just so happens that they�re in first place and we aren�t so it�s a bigger matchup.�

  • Seimone Augustus on Minnesota�s rivalry with Phoenix and the kiss between her and Diana Taurasi that occurred during a matchup last season.


    • Looking Ahead

    The Lynx travel to Tulsa to face the Shock on Saturday. Minnesota is 3-0 against the Shock so far this year, and the team will face Tulsa twice more before the regular season is up.

    Minnesota will also play Indiana this week on Tuesday�wrapping up the season series with the Fever. The Lynx lead that series 1-0 after their 83-77 win at Target Center on June 22. The team will also wrap up its series against the Chicago Sky this week, with a home game on Thursday. Minnesota is 1-0 against the Sky this season.

    For more news and notes on the team follow the Minnesota Lynx on Twitter.