WNBA Roundup – June 5, 2011: New York Liberty and Minnesota Lynx win
On Sunday, June 5, 2011, two contests took place in the Women National Basketball Association (WNBA). Here is a brief insight into the two match-ups:
New York Liberty 94 - Atlanta Dream 88
Forward-centre Plenette Pierson scored a game-high 25 points and grabbed 10 rebounds as the New York Liberty knocked down the defending Eastern Conference champion Atlanta Dream 94-88 in overtime (O.T.) at Philips Arena.
Sidney Spencer, who played for just five minutes late in the game, stole the show as she hit a tying basket on her only shot of the game with 0.2 seconds remaining in fourth quarter and provided the Liberty with an opportunity
send the game into O.T. Forward Nicole Powell also had a productive game for New York with 17 points, six assists, and six rebounds. Guard Leilani Mitchell ended with 13 points including a game winning three, with 28 seconds left in O.T.
Guard-forward Iziane Castro Marques headed Atlanta with 19 points while forward Sancho Lyttle had 18 points and a game-high 11 rebounds.
Dream played the game without their leading scorer Angel McCoughtry, who is under day-to-day observation with a left knee injury. Both teams played a close game in the first three quarters and the game was tie at 60, heading into
the fourth quarter. Trailing by two points with just one second to go in the fourth, Spencer hit a breath-taking jump shot to send the game into O.T.
The Liberty came out strong in the O.T. and maintained their hold on the game to seal the victory. Lyttle and Castro missed crucial three-pointers in the last 15 seconds of the game that could provide them the victory.
Minnesota Lynx 86 - Los Angeles Sparks 69
Seimone Augustus had a game-high 17 points and five rebounds as the Minnesota Lynx defeated the Los Angeles Sparks 86-69, tying their season-opening series at 1-1. Forward Maya Moore, the No. 1 overall draft pick from Connecticut,
added 16 points in her home debut, scoring 14 of them in the second half of the game.
Guard Kristi Toliver chipped in with a team-high 13 points, while Tina Thompson and Candace Parker scored 11 points apiece in the defeat. Toliver hit a three-pointer with 24 seconds to go in the opening quarter to help the Sparks
grab a 22-21 lead after 12 minutes.
Augustus scored 15 of her 17 points in the first half as Lynx carried a 46-40 lead, heading into the break. The struggling Los Angeles outfit did not get any closer than eight points in the second half and Minnesota sealed the
victory with a huge margin of 17 points.
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