Atlanta Dream 39 vs. Minnesota Lynx 36 – WNBA Finals Game - 1 Halftime Analysis
Lindsey Harding scored 16 points as the Atlanta Dream led Minnesota Lynx 39-36 at halftime in game-1 of the 2011 Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) Finals on Sunday, October 2, 2011 at the Target Center.
Forward Iziane Castro Marques added 10 points while Angel McCoughtry posted six points for the two time Eastern Conference Champions till the break.
For Lynx, forwards Rebekkah Brunson and Seimone Augustus led the charge with nine points each. Maya Moore, who is averaging 18 points per game in the playoffs so far, could not find her rhythm during the first 20 minutes and ended
the first half with just six points.
First Quarter
Rebekkah Brunson made two quick shots from the two point range as Minnesota, playing on their home ground, took a 6-3 lead. Atlanta however responded swiftly and scored the next six points to go ahead by 9-6 with 06:41 to go in
the quarter. Lynx closed the gap immediately with a 8-4 run though and held a point lead, 14-13, with 01:57 remaining in the frame. In a see-saw battle, Dream had the last laugh though. They capped the frame with 5 consecutive points, taking an 18-14 lead
into the second period.
Second Quarter
Atlanta continued to play with the same intensity in the second quarter and stretched their lead to nine points, 25-16, early. Brunson hit pair of free throws to make it 25-17 for Lynx, but Castro Marques and Bales answered with
two consecutive jumpers to push the lead to 29-17 with 06:22 remaining till the break.
At that point, it seemed that Dream are going to pull away. But, Lynx had different ideas.
What followed was a four point spell by Lynx which brought their deficit within eight at 29-21. A Harding jumper on the next possession stretched Atlanta’s lead back to double-figure, but Augustus then scored a jumper and followed
with a dagger for downtown to bring Lynx within five, 31-26.
Minnesota continued to push in the next couple of minutes and trimmed Dream’s lead to only three, 33-30, with 02:48 to go. Atlanta however found solace in McCoughtry’s four-point spurt at that point and went ahead by 39-32, before
Moore slipped in two shots from the charity stripe and Adair drove to the rim to bring Lynx within range, 39-36, at halftime.
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