The first few minutes of this game had some thinking that the Phoenix Mercury may pull off a huge upset over the defending champion Minnesota Lynx in Game 1 of the WNBA semifinals. Instead, Minnesota reached the century mark—scoring 113 points in its Game 1 home victory over Phoenix.
The final score was 113-95.
Midway through the first quarter, Phoenix assumed a 14-8 lead with six of the eight points coming by way of Maya Moore. Minnesota was ahead by one (24-23) at the conclusion of one frame.
The blowout began to be on full display as the first quarter gave way to the second, when that advantage increased to 17 as the Lynx outscored the Mercury 31-15—including a 19-4 run to begin the second. It was 55-38 at the half.
Maya Moore led Minnesota with 31 points. Lindsay Whalen contributed 19 and Sylvia Fowles finished with a double-double via 16 points and 10 rebounds. The Lynx also shot 64 points from the field, which will win a team many a basketball game.
Diana Taurasi had 25 points including making four of seven from three-point range. Brittney Griner had 16.
The game was played at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul—home to the NHL’s Minnesota Wild—because of a Cirque du Soleil event at Target Center. The Lynx will also play at Xcel for the 2017 season.
By: Akiem Bailum (@AkiemBailum on Twitter, Instagram)
