Moore, Lynx bounce back in WNBA Finals Game 2
MINNEAPOLIS – The glaring stat for Minnesota Lynx forward Maya Moore was a scoreless first half in a Game 1 loss in the WNBA Finals. So naturally, she responded with 21 points and 12 rebounds in Game 2 in her team’s dominant 79-60 victory over the Los Angeles Sparks Tuesday night at the Target Center.
“If I know Maya, I know Maya hasn’t slept and Maya probably wanted to play yesterday and get right back to it,” said Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve.
Moore said it was hard to take her mind off such a tough loss, but “today was better.” The Lynx had a better understanding of their spacing, moving the ball and the pace of the game, she said.
“This team bounces back well, and you can’t stay down for too long when you’re on this team, and I’m a part of that, of wanting to come in and bring that energy,” Moore said.
She led all scorers going 8-of-16 in field goals and hitting three three-pointers. Her teammate Seimone Augustus had a strong game with 14 points, and Sylvia Fowles had a double-double with 13 points and 15 rebounds.
The Lynx broke things open with a 12-1 run to take a 39-25 halftime lead. It turned into a 17-3 run for the Lynx in the third quarter, until the Sparks immediately responded with 14 unanswered points.
Suddenly that large Lynx lead – 17 points a couple times – evaporated into a slim 3-point margin midway through the third. Then it was the Lynx again, with an 8-0 run to give them momentum for the final 10 minutes.
“We just were more aggressive,” Augustus said. “I just tried to attack more in the fourth quarter, or throughout the game … and it just so happened to fall my way.”
The Lynx shot 45.2% from the floor. They made the most of their second-chance points, too, scoring 17 of them while the Sparks managed just 7. They outrebounded the Sparks 46 to 32.
“They gave themselves second opportunities at some critical times,” said Sparks coach Brian Agler. “For us to win another game in this series or win the series either way, then we’re going to have to be more competitive on the boards.”
Moore is the leading scorer in WNBA Finals history, with 299 career points. Augustus is second with 270.
The best-of-five series moves to Los Angeles for games 3 and 4. Game 3 tips off at 9 p.m. ET at the Galen Center at the University of Southern California. The Lynx are looking for their second straight title and fourth overall. Meanwhile the Sparks want their first title since 2002.
“We came to here to do what we want to do and that was to get one [win],” Sparks guard Kristi Toliver said. “They want four… but we want one.”