If the first night of this year’s WNBA Semifinals was any indication, we may very well be heading fast towards Los Angeles Sparks vs. Minnesota Lynx: The Sequel.
Photo Credit: Aaron Levinsky/Associated Press
In the Lynx’s opening semifinal game at Williams Arena on the campus of the University of Minnesota, the team made an emphatic statement by thrashing the Washington Mystics by a final of 101-81.
Early on, it appeared as if the Mystics were trying to match the Lynx point for point—and as many basketball fans will tell you, that can only go so far when playing a team that has won three WNBA titles and has four Olympians on its roster.
Washington assumed a 14-10 lead with 5:08 to play in the first quarter prior to the Lynx embarking on a 16-4 run which allowed them to go ahead 26-18 with one frame complete.
The Mystics got to within three (30-27) in the second before the Lynx pushed their advantage back out to 10 at 37-27. It was 53-38 by halftime and a resounding 84-56 after three quarters.
Seimone Augustus had 24 points, five rebounds, and three assists for Minnesota. Sylvia Fowles and Renee Montgomery had 18 each and Maya Moore put in 14.
Lynx put Toliver on a milk carton. If Mystics dont have answers for Mone and Syl it could be a long series. And then there's Maya. #WNBA
— WNBA Jones (@WNBAJones) September 13, 2017
For Washington, Elena Delle Donne concluded her evening with 17 points and Tierra Ruffin-Pratt scored 16. Emma Messeman would contribute 15 and Ivory Latta finished with 10.
Minnesota shot nearly 60 percent from the field and over 70 percent from three-point range in addition to forcing the Mystics into 11 turnovers.
Photo Credit: Stephen Carr/Daily Breeze/Southern California News Group
As for the Sparks, they were locked into a more competitive—and physical—contest with the Phoenix Mercury at Staples Center, but it still concluded in a 79-66 win for Los Angeles.
All one has to do to see how physical the game was is look at how many personal fouls were called between the two teams. Combined, nearly 50 personals were called and that is not even counting technical fouls and potential flagrant fouls as well as reviews of calls.
dribble, dribble, dribble whistle; dribble dribble, dribble shot whistle; pass whistle, run down the floor whistle.
— Doug Feinberg (@DougFeinberg) September 13, 2017
Three Mercury players fouled out with six fouls in Brittney Griner, Emma Cannon, and Camille Little. Also not helping, if you are Phoenix, is Diana Taurasi struggling from the field. Even the greats have off-nights, but her only scoring six points and shooting an Arctic two-for-10 from the field will not get it done home or away, night or day.
Phoenix was lifted with 18 points from Leilani Mitchell and another 18 via Griner, but Taurasi’s struggles neutralized the Mercury getting significant production out of a third scorer.
What will help a team’s winning cause is when your entire starting lineup is in double-digits pointswise and when your team defensively, led by Defensive Player of the Year Alana Beard, has 11 steals and holds the Mercury to only six points in the third quarter.
Nneka Ogwumike had 19 points and was one rebound shy of a double-double with nine. Candace Parker had 15. Chelsea Gray finished with 13, Odyssey Sims scored 12 and Beard had 11.
Both Game 2’s are set for Tuesday.
By: Akiem Bailum (@AkiemBailum on Twitter, Instagram)
