Tulsa Shock lose 17th Straight; Go down 82-54 to Minnesota Lynx – WNBA Recap (Part-1)
Tulsa Shock have had a shocker of a season so far and on Sunday night against the league leaders, Minnesota Lynx, things went from bad to worse.
Coming into the game, Tulsa with a 1-21 record, were a game shy of tying the WNBA record for the most consecutive losses (17) in a season held by the Atlanta Dream. However, instead of standing up and giving it their all, Shock disintegrated like a pack of dominoes and gifted a 82-54 win to Minnesota, who have now won 11 of their last twelve game.
When the highest scorer on a team has 9 points, frailty certainly comes into the equation and it will be the ultimate depth of it, which the Shock will now be trying to avoid when they face the Los Angeles Sparks at home next Sunday.
It was small forward Sheryl Swoopes who scored those nine points as Shock lost their first game after their now legendary coach Teresa Edwards was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame this Friday. This was the twelfth defeat for the Shock since Edwards took over the reins of the franchise after Nolan Richardson parted ways with the franchise last month. The coach believes that she still requires time to find the right combination.
``It's just not a time to beat them up, it's not a time to be sad,'' said Edwards. ``I've got to let them be who they are and try to just instill the most important things and be prepared for it game in and game out in hopes that I find a different tactic here to spark some growth.''
For Lynx, Sunday’s win was a step closer towards the first playoff berth since the last seven years. Sitting pretty with an 18-5 record this season, the twin cities franchise is now just four wins away from making it to the post season. The 18 victories this season have also equaled the record of the most wins ever in the franchise history.
On the night, Seimone Augustus led the Lynx with 16 points on an 8 of 12 shooting. Lindsay Whalen chipped in with 12 points and narrowly missed a double- double with 9 assists.
With the game blown open early, Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve gave chance to her fringe player and they responded by combining for 31 points, giving their veteran starters some much-needed rest. Candice Wiggins, Jessica Adair, Maya Moore and Monica Wright all scored nine points while Rebekkah Brunson finished the night with eight points and six rebounds in nearly 26 minutes of play.
Tags: