Lynx Hope Game One Heartbreak Provides Motivation For Game Two

It wasn’t perfect, but just about everything went according to plan for the Minnesota Lynx in Game One of their WNBA Semifinals series versus the Seattle Storm.

Cheryl Reeve’s side limited turnovers, nine compared to the 26 the last meeting between the two sides. Napheesa Collier was a dominant force against the league’s best defense, scoring 25 points on 10-of-17 shooting to lead the Lynx. Though she scored 21 points, Minnesota held 2018 WNBA Most Valuable Player Breanna Stewart to just 35-percent from the field.

Still, Alysha Clark’s buzzer-beating putback to lift the Storm over the Lynx, 88-86, was a gut punch to start the series. Moving forward, the Minnesota will be motivated by the heartbreak rather than hang their heads going into Game Two.

“Honestly, there’s nothing to hang our head about,” guard Odyssey Sims told media. “We just gotta rebound. It came down to the last possession, it could have easily gone the other way and they could be feeling like we feel.”

Added Reeve: “I enjoyed watching our team competing, making plays when it was necessary and executing. Seattle just made one more play.”

Knowing the fight they gave Seattle was close to their best gives the Lynx confidence moving forward in the series despite the 1-0 deficit.

“It feels good going into the next game knowing that we have that confidence of we were right there the whole time [in Game One],” said Collier. “We were ahead at some points.

“We’re excited for the next game.”

Game Two between the Lynx and Storm tips off Thursday evening at 6:30PM Central on ESPN2.