Minnesota Rebounds, Dominate in Game 2 of WNBA Finals
Maya Moore drives to the bucket in game two. (@WNBA/Twitter)
Minneapolis, MN – The Minnesota Lynx were forced into a must win game two, after losing game one on a buzzer beater, to avoid going down 0-2 to the Los Angeles Sparks, before the series shifts to LA.
Maya Moore answered the call with her game high 21 points and 12 rebounds, Minnesota evened the series with a 79-60 win over LA in Game 2 Tuesday night.
“There's only so many things you can do to take your mind off of a loss like that. Yeah, falling asleep was pretty hard” Moore Said. “But today was better. Our team is so great at being positive.”
The Lynx bench play became a huge factor going into Game 2. Head coach Cheryl Reeve challenged Seimone Augustus, specifically, to take advantage of the opportunity and her matchup. Augustus stepped up her play Tuesday night with 14 points, half of them coming in the fourth quarter.
Sylvia Fowles also bounced back after her Game 1 performance. Fowles finished the night with 13 points and 15 boards to help the Lynx dominate on the glass, 46-32. Minnesota grabbed 13 offensive boards, generating more second chance opportunities in which the Lynx capitalized on.
“When you get tired, when things are muddled and you're not focusing at what you're doing a lot of times confusion can -- confusion can seep in” Nneka Ogwumike told reporters. “I think that's kind of what happened. Ogwumike scored 14 points and grabbed 12 rebounds for the Sparks, who go back to Los Angeles for Game 3 even with the Lynx.
Sparks head to L.A for Game 3 even at 1-1 (@WNBA/Twitter)
Kristi Toliver couldn’t find her range last night shooting 2-for-9 from the 3-pointer land. Candace Parker also struggled on the night with six points on 3-for-12 shooting. On the Sparks went 3 of 20 from beyond the arc and shot 33% on night.
“Our focus right now is to win one more game. That's what we want to do. We want to win one more game, and then we'll see where we stand and we'll go from there.” said Sparks Head Coach Brian Agler.
Last season the Indiana Fever went into the Target Center and took Game 1 away from the Lynx but Minnesota came back to win the series in five games.
The Lynx are looking to become the first team to win four championships since the Houston Comets did so in the early years of the WNBA. A win would also make Minnesota the first back-to-back champions since the 2002 Los Angeles Sparks.
Maya Moore got rolling during a 17-3 run for the Lynx, she hit two 3s and a layup, then picked Parker's pocket and threw a full court length outlet to a streaking Lindsay Whalen for a three-point play. The Lynx led 39-25 at Halftime.
The Sparks got back into the game with a 14-0 run in the third quarter that made the score 44-41, but Moore and the Lynx defense stepped up after a timeout by Reeve. In the fourth Minnesota outscored L.A 25-14 to earn the victory in Game 2.
UP NEXT: Game 3 is Friday in Los Angeles.
