Rebekkah Brunson, Angel McCoughtry - Noticeable performances from game-1 of WNBA Finals
On Sunday, October 2, 2011 at the Target Center, Minnesota Lynx took yet another step towards the WNBA glory as they beat Atlanta Dream 88-74 in the first game of the WNBA best-of-five finals.
Trailing by three points at halftime, Minnesota tied the game at 62 by the end of third quarter and then blew up with a 13-0 spurt early in the fourth to draw the first blood. Here is an overview of some of the most noticeable performances that sparked the hard-fought contest.
Rebekkah Brunson
Rebekkah Brunson is one of the key players for Lynx and it seems that she has saved her best for the last. The 29-year-old forward knocked Dream down with a team-high 26 points, including 17 in the second half, and a game-high 11 boards. The two-time WNBA All-Star also blocked two shots in more than 35 minutes of action.
Brunson, who was selected in the first round of the 2004 WNBA Draft as the tenth overall pick, went 10 for 15 from the field and 6 for 7 from free throw line.
“Rebekkah Brunson was about as key as you could get,” Minnesota coach Cheryl Reeve said of Brunson after the game. “You have games like this, you need X factors. And I thought Brunson was able to get some easy stuff.”
Seimone Augustus
Seimone Augustus, the three-time WNBA All-Star, was another driving force behind Minnesota’s victory. The shooting guard racked up 22 points for her team, dished out seven assists, grabbed four rebounds, and blocked two shots. Augustus finished on a 9 for 20 shooting from the field, including 2 for 3 from three-point range.
Lindsay Whalen
Lindsay Whalen also added 15 points on 7 for 15 shooting from the floor. The 5 ft 9 in guard also dished out six assists in 33 plus minutes of action.
Angel McCoughtry
Angel McCoughtry has to fire on all cylinders if Atlanta Dream are to have any chance of stopping the resurgent Lynx in the finals. This has been the notion ever since Dream made it to the WNBA Finals for the second time running.
On the night, McCoughtry did fire, but she did it a little too late.
Limited to a only six points in the first half, Atlanta’s forward erupted with 27 points in the second half of the game, but unfortunately for her and Atlanta, Lynx also started to rumble at just about the same time. McCoughtry also stole the ball three times and blocked two shots.
Lindsey Harding
Lindsey Harding was another bright spot for Dream. She scored 20 points and dealt out five assists in the loss.
Tags: