Alexander Shun

Web Editor Associate | @alexpshun  

The Minnesota Lynx have still not lost two games in a row this season after dismantling the San Antonio Stars tonight, 66-49.

The dominant Lynx defense came out strong once again, holding the Stars to just six points on 2-of-16 shooting (12.5 percent) in the first quarter. The Lynx never let up.

“I was really happy with how we came out of the gate,” said Lynx head coach Cheryl Reeve. “We had a concerted effort to make sure that we were defending and getting out and running and so that first half was more along the lines of what we wanted to see and I thought that set the tone for the rest of the game”

The Stars were only able to muster 43 points the rest of the way and finished the game shooting just 20-of-69 (29 percent) from the floor.

Meanwhile the Lynx shot 29-of-70 (41.4 percent) from the floor, making them 8-1 on the season when they out-shoot their opponents.

Forward Maya Moore led Minnesota once again, scoring a a game-high 20 points, her fourth straight 20+ point game. Guard Seimone Augustus added 12 points on 6-of-10 shooting in just 19 minutes of play.

Minnesota was fueled once again by strong bench play, led by guard Anna Cruz and center Damiris Dantas. Cruz finished with just two points, but grabbed seven rebounds and dished out three assists while providing great defensive play as well.

“She just brings that edge,” said Augustus. “She picks up full-court, puts the pressure on that point guard, she’s able to keep up and then she pushes tempo on the other end. I look forward to he getting better as the season goes on.”

Dantas finished with nine points and four rebounds, but had five huge points midway through the fourth quarter to put the winning stamp on the game.

Forward Dearica Hamby led the Stars scoring 13 points and grabbing eight rebounds but didn’t get much help from the other starters. San Antonio starters combined to shoot 12-of-45 (26.6 percent) from the floor and score only 30 points.

LEADER OF THE PACK: REBEKKAH BRUNSON

Sure, Brunson’s stats may not be the flashiest, having finished just 2-of-5 (40 percent) from the floor for four points and five rebounds, but it was Brunson’s defensive play that made her the star of the game tonight.

San Antonio forward Sophia Young-Malcolm entered tonight’s game averaging over 18 points in her last three games; that ended definitively tonight. Young-Malcolm finished just 1-of-8 (12.5 percent) from the floor for four points. This was due in large-part to the defense of Brunson.

Young-Malcolm was simply unable to enter the paint, and when she was granted access, Brunson was either there to contest her shot, or she forced her to pass it back outside.

Brunson used her play tonight to show that stats are not everything and that players can make huge impacts in many ways; Brunson definitely made her impact defensively tonight.

PLAY OF THE GAME

It was easy to see early on that the big three of the Lynx (Whalen, Augustus and Moore) had it going on tonight. Early in the second quarter, the Lynx missed a jumper and quickly corralled the rebound, at which point the razzle-dazzle began. Whalen lined a pass inside to Moore who quickly dropped it down low to a cutting Augustus for the easy lay-up, pushing the Lynx lead back up to 11 points.

“Plays like that are where you know we’re feeling good,” said Moore.

QUOTEABLE

“We don’t ever talk about it, well players do, players talk about that sort of thing. The blocked shot sort of thing for me is, we don’t teach it…as long as we’re doing it within the framework of the defense…I think our team has really embraced what’s a good attempt at a blocked shot,” Lynx Head Coach Cheryl Reeve discussing her team’s ability to block shots so effectively after her team had seven blocked shots against the Stars.

UP NEXT

The Lynx now have a quick turnaround, traveling to Connecticut to take on the Eastern Conference-leading Sun on Tuesday night. The game starts at 6:00 P.M. CT.