Alexander Shun

Web Editor Associate | @alexpshun 

 Just under three minutes in the second quarter, Liston misses deep three, Moor steal, draw foul. Frustrated after Dream run

Well it was a fairly easy night for the Minnesota Lynx tonight, beating the Atlanta Dream easily 86-70.

It was a very balanced effort offensively from Minnesota tonight with five players scoring in double-figures and dishing 23 assists, the second-highest total for the Lynx this season. Guard Lindsay Whalen scored 15 points, center Sylvia Fowles added 12 points and eight rebounds and forward Maya Moore poured in a game-high 21 points to go with her eight rebounds and four assists. Moore has now extended her franchise record and scored 20+ points in 10 straight games.

“If there’s something out there that I can do and it’s within the natural flow of our gameplan, then I want to do it,” said Moore. My goal in the last few seasons has been averaging 20-plus points and it’s definitely attainable for me on this team and I feel like it’s part of the way that I can help my team.”

Moore’s scoring streak is alive and well, but the key to the win tonight was the defense.

The Lynx held the Dream to just 27-of-64 shooting (42.2 percent) including just 3-of-13 (23.1 percent) from beyond the arc, while forcing 20 turnovers, blocking six shots and getting nine steals. It was the second-straight game that the Lynx have forced over 20 turnovers.

“As the game wore on I was a little more frustrated with our defense, but we had them in the first half [shooting] 37 percent and I think it was largely because we were really building our help…so in that regard, I thought our team defense was really good,” said Lynx head coach Cheryl Reeve, speaking about the team’s defensive effort tonight.

Oh, and we haven’t even talked about the bench yet.

Guard Tricia Liston came off the bench to score 10 points and center Asjha Jones added 12 points, six rebounds and three assists.

“I thought Tricia was really gritty in the way that she was playing,” said Reeve. “I thought she was really focused on how to be successful in this game.

Former Lynx players Damiris Dantas and Reshanda Gray returned to Minnesota after being traded away just a few days ago and played alright. Dantas finished with nine points and five rebounds while Gray finished with seven points and six rebounds off the bench for Atlanta.

Guard Tiffany Hayes led the Dream with 15 points, five rebounds and three assists in the loss.

LEADER OF THE PACK: THE MINNESOTA LYNX BENCH

On a night when the Lynx were shorthanded at the guard spot due to injuries to Seimone Augustus and Anna Cruz, Minnesota’s bench really stepped up and provided a huge spark for this team.

Center Asjha Jones came off the bench to contribute 12 points, six rebounds and three assists, while forward Tricia Liston came in and added 10 points, two rebounds and three assists in a career-high 32 minutes of playing time.

“I think tonight you saw a little bit more of trying to have a variety in what I do and I’m going to keep working on those things so I can be more of a threat,” said Liston.

In total tonight, Lynx bench players contributed, 26 points, 11 rebounds, 11 assists, two steals and two blocked shots. I’d say that’s a very productive night indeed.

PLAY OF THE GAME

With just under three minutes remaining in the second quarter, the Lynx were facing a drought offensively. The Dream were on a 12-4 run and were threatening to make the game close; Lynx forward Maya Moore would have none of that. After a Liston missed three-pointer, Moore quickly stole the ball from Dream guard Angel McCoughtry, went up for a layup and got fouled. Moore proceeded to make both free-throws and ignite a 13-4 Lynx run to close the half. The Dream never got the deficit below 12 points after that.

QUOTEABLE

“I was thinking in my head you better make this, you can’t mess up the nice pass. That was the scariest shot I took all night and it was the most open one,” said Lynx forward Tricia Liston, speaking about the three-point shot that she made after a nice no-look pass from forward Maya Moore.

UP NEXT

The Lynx have another quick turnaround. What else is new, right? They will head to Tulsa to take on the Shock tomorrow night. The game will begin at 7:00 P.M. CT.