After watching the Minnesota Lynx allow 90, 94 and 94 points, respectively, in their last three games, coach Cheryl Reeve says things have to change.
“We’ve just got to figure out a way to be better on defense and hold teams down,” she said. “What we’re doing isn’t working.”
The WNBA-worst 0-5 record reflects that and it will probably be 0-6 unless Minnesota tightens things up against one of the WNBA’s top teams, the Connecticut Sun, on Thursday night in Minneapolis.
The Lynx are coming off a 94-89 loss Tuesday night in Dallas, which erased an early 22-8 deficit and scored 52 first-half points. Minnesota shot a higher percentage from the field but hurt itself by committing 15 turnovers while forcing just nine.
Wasted were some good individual performances, including a team-high 18 points by Kayla McBride and an excellent effort by Jessica Shepard. She played the full 40 minutes, scoring 15 points, grabbing 10 rebounds and dishing out five assists.
While the Lynx keep losing, Connecticut (4-1) keeps winning. Tuesday night’s 81-78 victory over lndiana allowed it to bounce back from its first loss of the season in New York on Saturday. Against the Indiana Fever, the Sun overcame 40.3-percent shooting from the field by earning a 45-37 rebounding advantage and putting four players in double figures.
Tiffany Hayes scored a game-high 22 points for Connecticut, which also got a pair of double-doubles. Brionna Jones added 19 points and 11 rebounds, while Alyssa Thomas stuffed the stat sheet with 13 points, 17 rebounds and seven assists.
The Sun’s ball movement was much-improved after the loss in New York, where they managed only 13 assists on 22 made buckets. They finished with 22 assists off 29 field goals against Indiana.
“I felt like we held the ball a lot in the second half,” said Connecticut coach Stephanie White of the defeat in New York. “We got stagnant.”
This has been a one-sided series the last two years. The Sun have won five straight over the Lynx, including the final game of last season.
–Field Level Media
