Mitchell Hansen
Web Editorial Associate
Twitter
The Minnesota Lynx dealt with their fair share of struggles in the first half of Tuesday night’s game against the Connecticut Sun, falling behind by as much as nine points and trailing 37-35 going into halftime.
But the Lynx bounced back strong in the second half, and that was thanks to a big run in the third quarter.
From the midway point in the third quarter, Minnesota went on a 21-8 run to end the quarter with a 62-54 lead. And the Lynx didn’t look back.
Minnesota came back to top Connecticut 80-78 at Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul. With the win, the Lynx improved to a perfect 4-0 on the season.
“We had some moments where we were really, really good,” Lynx head coach Cheryl Reeve said after the game. “I thought we came out really flat. . . We vowed at halftime that we were going to play with passion and energy.”
Sylvia Fowles led the way for Minnesota, finishing with a double-double of 21 points, 13 rebounds and four assists. Fowles has now recorded three double-doubles in four games this season.
Along with Fowles, Seimone Augustus finished with 16 points and four rebounds, Maya Moore had 12 points, six rebounds and five assists, Rebekkah Brunson had seven points and seven rebounds, Jia Perkins had seven points and Renee Montgomery added six points and three assists off the bench.
“We were led by (Fowles), she was just outstanding, both offensively and defensively. We needed every bit of it,” Reeve said. “Seimone was also really, really good.”
Jasmine Thomas had 18 points and five assists to lead Connecticut. Jonquel Jones had 16 points and six rebounds, Morgan Tuck had 12 points and 10 rebounds, Alyssa Thomas had eight points, six rebounds and six assists and Alex Bentley added eight points and six assists for the Sun.
With the win, Minnesota improves to 4-0 on the year. With the loss, Connecticut falls to 0-3 overall.
“Winning games in this league is not easy. So when you win, you have to make sure that you have those moments where you go ‘it wasn’t perfect and we have some work to do,'” Reeve said. “But we won the game and there was a lot that goes into that.”
Highlight Of The Game
The third quarter was definitely the highlight of the game for Minnesota.
The Lynx outscored the Sun 27-17 in the third quarter and ended the frame on a 21-8 run to regain the lead in the game.
Augustus led Minnesota in the quarter with nine points.
The Numbers Game
- With the win, Minnesota extended its winning streak in the month of May to 21 straight games
- The Lynx finished shooting 50.9 percent from the field, while the Sun shot 40.5 percent.
- Minnesota’s biggest lead in the game was 13 points, while Connecticut’s biggest lead was nine.
Player Of The Game
Tuesday night’s Lynx Player of the Game is Sylvia Fowles.
Along with recording her third double-double of the season, Fowles shot 8-of-12 from the field, including going 5-of-7 from the free throw line.
Not a bad performance from the WNBA’s Western Conference Player of the Week.
“We needed every bit of it. She had a stretch where she couldn’t convert, but it was a lot to be on just one person,” Reeve said of Fowles. “Syl has grown. I told her, it was outstanding.”
Up Next
Minnesota and Connecticut will face off once again at 6 p.m. Friday in Connecticut. The game will be aired on 106.1 BOB FM.