Seimone Augustus propels Minnesota Lynx to an 86-69 win over the Los Angeles Sparks- WNBA Recap
Seimone Augustus led all players with 17 points and five rebounds as the Minnesota Lynx beat Los Angeles Sparks 86-69 on Sunday night at Target Center. With this victory, the Lynx tied the season series at 1-1.
Maya Moore, the No. 1 draft pick, had rough shooting in the first half as she shot just 1-for-5. However, she found her rhythm after halftime and managed to finish the game in style, scoring 16 points in her home debut. The Minnesota forward scored 14 points in the second half of the game, shooting 6-for-13 from the field. Moore had 21 points in her Women National Basketball Association (WNBA) debut in Los Angeles.
Rebekkah Brunson led Minnesota’s domination on the board and finished with a game-high15 rebounds and 10 points. This was Lynx’s first win over the Sparks in the last nine attempts. Guard Lindsay Whalen also added10 points for Minnesota while Monica Wright and Amber Harris provided 11 points each off the bench.
For the Sparks, Guard Kristi Toliver came off the bench with a team-high 13 points. Forwards Candace Parker and Tina Thompson added 11 points apiece in the losing effort. Parker also grabbed seven rebounds in the defeat, making 3-for-4 from the free throw line.
The game generally hung in balance in the first quarter as both teams played a tight defence. Minnesota however managed to nudge ahead and took a one-point lead into the second. Lynx broke the game open early in the second quarter with an 11-2 run that sparked them to a 33-24 advantage. Thompson and guard Jenna O'Hea however hit consecutive three-pointers to cut New York’s deficit to six points with 02:29 remaining in the half. Minnesota scored the next four points though to take a 44-34 lead. Toliver and Ticha Penicheiro responded for the Spark with two 3-pointers in the closing seconds to trim the margin to six points, 46-40, heading into the locker room.
Lynx shored up their defence in the third and limited the Sparks to 10 points only. Minnesota maintained their hold on their opponents throughout the quarter, taking a 70-50 lead into the fourth. Spark were never able to overcome the double digit hole in the fourth quarter and lost by 17 points.
Minnesota coach Cheryl Reeve praised the team effort by her players and said, “That is who we said we wanted to be. That is the depth.'' “Our bench is not bad, and nights like this with six people in double figures, that's what we want to be.”
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