Minnesota Lynx beat San Antonio Silver Stars 72-61; Seal the top spot in WNBA Western Conference
For the first time in the history of the franchise, the road through the Western Conference playoffs will go through Minnesota Lynx.
Maya Moore recorded a double-double with 19 points and 12 rebounds, and the Lynx clinched the top seed in the West with a 72-61 victory over the San Antonio Silver Stars on Sunday night at AT&T Center.
Minnesota, which has won five straight games and eight of the last ten, will have home-court advantage throughout the first three rounds of the playoffs. Lynx had not finished with the best record in the West ever in the 11-year
history of the team.
“It's just a blessing to be on this team,'' said Moore after leading her side to the win, “All of us have a really special situation, so I'm just excited to play well because we still have a lot of work to do.”
She also dished out three assists and ended the game with 7 for 16 from the field. Seimone Augustus punctuated a game high 20 points, including 16 of them in the first half, and grabbed five rebounds in the victory. The 29-year-old
forward shot 10 for 18 shooting from the floor.
Augustus, the three-time WNBA All-Star, gave her rookie teammate all the credit.
“Just her maturity, people expect a lot from her,” she said. “She spoiled everyone with what she did in college, and she has come in and been everything that we have needed.”
Rebekkah Brunson also pulled down a game best 14 rebounds for Lynx, who are leading the league with a 23-6 record.
For the Silver Stars, Roneeka Hodges came off the bench with a team high 12 points, hitting 4 for 8 from three point range. Jia Perkins and Tully Bevilaqua scored 10 points apiece for Silver Stars. It was the third straight time,
San Antonio’s leading scorer Becky Hammon could not reach double figures. Hammon, who is averaging 15.5 points and 5.7 assists per game in this season, finished the game with just nine points on 1 for 12 shooting from the field.
The Silver Stars, who had won their previous six games, are now only one game up on Los Angeles Sparks for the West's fourth and final playoff spot.
Minnesota shot 42 percent from the field and 100 percent from free throw line while San Antonio shots only 30.2 percent from the floor and 70.6 percent from the line. Lynx outscored the hosts 30-4 in points in the paint.
Minnesota hit 18 for 35 in the first half of the game and carried a 42-40 lead into the locker room. In the third frame, Lynx limited San Antonio to only 4 for 15 from the floor in the third quarter and pushed their lead to 60-50.
Leading by ten points after three quarter, Minnesota maintained their lead in the fourth quarter and walked away with a landmark win.
Tags: