Tulsa Shock lose 17th Straight; Go down 82-54 to Minnesota Lynx – WNBA Recap (Part-2)
Sunday’s game was a classic case of two teams going in the opposite direction. Minnesota Lynx, with all the momentum behind their back outplayed Tulsa in every facet of the game. They outrebounded the Shock 30-24 on the boards,
out assisted them 21-8, thrashed them on the points in the paint 34-20 and 19-2 in the fast break points. Moreover Shock committed 19 turnovers, eight more than the Lynx.
From the field, Lynx converted 47.8% of their shots, including 37.5% from the three point range and also converted 65.0% of their free throws. In comparison, Tulsa shot 34.0% from the floor, including 38.5% from downtown and 83.3%
from the stripe.
Despite Minnesota’s dominant performance, their coach Cheryl Reeve was not happy with the energy. Not satisfied with the quality of play, she urged her team not to think about merely winning, but to set high goals.
"We're a team that's striving for perfection; we're carrying the label of the best team in the league. With that goes a lot of responsibility every time you step on the court to play great and be the great players that they are.''
Kayla Pedersen started the game with a driving layup 25 seconds into the game to give Tulsa a lead. That proved to be their first and the last lead. Nearly a minute later, Maya Moore knocked down a dagger from downtown, which initiated
an 11-2 run and Lynx raced off to a 11-2 lead inside the first four minutes.
Tulsa tried to keep pace early and brought the deficit to 4 points at 11-15 with 2:56 to go in the frame, but were dealt with five consecutive points in the ensuing passage. By the time the first period ended, Lynx had already
created an eight point cushion at 20-12. The eight point lead became a 14 point lead when Rebekkah Brunson slipped in an alley oop layup shot one second before the halftime to give Lynx a 39-25 advantage.
Tulsa showed some character in the third frame and held Lynx to 19 points to maintain a 14 point deficit. However, they let it slip in the fourth as Lynx butchered them 24-10 to romp to a massive 28 point win.
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