Mitchell Hansen
Web Editorial Associate
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The Minnesota Lynx play their second game in three days when they host the San Antonio Stars on Sunday night in St. Paul.
Minnesota enters the game with the best record in the WNBA at 10-1 overall. San Antonio comes in still looking for their first win, holding a record of 0-13.
“We just have to understand that they have nothing to lose. I’ve been in that situation before in years past, so you have nothing to lose,” Seimone Augustus said after shootaround Sunday. “You just go out there and lay it out on the line.”
One challenge the Lynx will face in the game includes defending the young and talented guards on the Stars.
Kayla McBride leads San Antonio with 15.3 points per game, Moriah Jefferson is averaging 10.2 points and four assists a game and Kelsey Plum, the No. 1 pick in the 2017 WNBA Draft, is finding her groove in her first season.
“The talent is getting better at the guard position,” Augustus said. “The thing that we have is we’re big, we’re long, so we can cause a lot of problems for smaller guards. Moriah Jefferson is a lot quicker, but she’s a little bit smaller than myself, (Lindsay Whalen) and Maya (Moore).”
Although it will be a defensive challenge, Minnesota comes into the game as the best defensive team in the WNBA. The Lynx have allowed 75.4 points per game and hold a defensive rating of 94.6, both ranking first in the league.
“As long as we can actively use that advantage that we feel like we have as far as our size, then we will be fine,” Augustus said. “But we also know that we have a tough task of keeping them in front of us in isolation situations and pick-and-roll situations will be very tough.”
The Lynx and Stars will square off at 6 p.m. tonight at Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul. The game will be aired on Fox Sports North, NBA TV and 106.1 BOB FM.
“We have to be able to match their intensity and aggressiveness that they are going to bring. They are going to attack, they are going to give you everything they got,” Augustus said. “You have to be able to combat that and come back with your own run and do what you need to do to come out with a win.”