Lynx's Ferocious Start Enough as Minnesota Beats Seattle 82-77

The Storm's rally falls short as Minnesota remains undefeated.

(Minneapolis, Minnesota) - The Minnesota Lynx (5-0) blitzed the Storm (3-2) early, and if you had gone to get something out of the fridge by the time you sat down, Seattle trailed 9-2. It got worse from there as the Lynx would tack on five more points to go up 14-2 in the first three minutes of the opening quarter.

Minnesota’s defense did what Seattle did to Las Vegas on Sunday. They were suffocating. The Lynx were physical and shoved Seattle around. They jumped the passing lanes while Seattle looked flat-footed to start the game. Minnesota forced Seattle into seven turnovers in the first quarter and scored 13 points off those mistakes. The Lynx also had a 15-1 advantage in fast break points in the opening period as they led 26-11 after one.

Coach Quinn put her reserves in early, and they were able to settle things down a bit. They helped cut the 15-point deficit down to 10 early in the 2nd quarter. This then allowed Seattle’s starters to get back into the game and make their push. Seattle outscored Minnesota 12 over the second and third periods, but their rally fell short in the 4th quarter. After scoring just 28 points over those two periods, the Lynx scored 28 points in the 4th to win the game 82-77.

Gabby Williams finished with a team-high 20 points and six assists. Skylar Diggins finished with 18 points, but had six turnovers and just three assists. Nneka Ogwumike added 11 points and eight rebounds but struggled to find her shot. Ogwumike finished converting just 5-14 FG. Ezi Magbegor finished with just six points. She did have a team-high 10 rebounds, but was outplayed by fellow Australian Alanna Smith. Erica Wheeler added 10 points off the bench.

Seattle out-rebounded Minnesota 34-30 and had a small edge in assists (20-18). They were outshot 43% (29-67 FG) to 47% (32-68 FG). The Storm’s bench did outscore the Lynx’s reserves 16-10.

Minnesota Lynx

Minnesota had a strong, balanced attack with four of its five starters scoring in double figures. Courtney Williams led the way with 23 points on 10-18 FG. Napheesa Collier wasn’t her unstoppable self, but she still had a strong game as she contributed 16 points, 10 rebounds, five assists, five steals, and two blocks. Alanna Smith finished with 16 points on 7-11 FG and seven rebounds. Lastly, Kayla McBride returned to the lineup for her first game of this season and added 15 points, including making three three-pointers and all four of her free throw attempts with the game on the line late in the fourth.

Thanks to McBride and others, the Lynx outshot the Storm 37% (7-19 FG) to 25% (6-24 FG) from beyond the arc. They forced Seattle into 14 turnovers and had a 23-13 advantage in points off of turnovers. They also outpaced Seattle with a 19-11 advantage in fast break points.

This might be an obvious John Madden-ism, but the Lynx were better on offense with a more balanced attack, and they were better on defense, limiting Nneka and Ezi to just 17 points total. Because of those two things, they won the game.

Game Breakdown

Skylar Diggins scored with a strong drive to the rim. The Lynx hit Alanna Smith on the pick-and-roll for the easy two. Minnesota then forced a turnover and raced down for two more. Seattle turned it over again, and the Lynx made them pay with a corner three by McBride. Seattle turned it over again, and Courtney Williams nailed a baseline jumper in transition. Coach Noelle Quinn was forced to call an early timeout with her team trailing 9-2.

Nneka Ogwumike and Gabby Williams missed shots. Napheesa Collier found Alanna Smith open down low. Then Kayla McBride hit another three, and the Lynx led 14-2 early. Ezi Magbegor was able to score on a short jumper in the paint to stop the bleeding. Ogwumike then scored. However, Seattle’s defense continued to make things too easy for the Lynx. Alanna Smith dribbled down the lane and wasn’t contested at all. Karlie Samuelson made a four-point play after being fouled by rookie Dominique Malonga. Seattle trailed 26-11 after one.

Erica Wheeler drilled a three-pointer at the top of the arc. Li Yueru was fouled and made both free throws. Natisha Hiedeman was fouled and made both shots. Gabby made a layup and then knocked down a three-pointer. But Seattle couldn’t get stops as Bridget Carleton and Alanna Smith each made baskets for Minnesota. Courtney Williams then made two shots in a row to put the Lynx back on top by 15 at 36-21.

Skylar Diggins hit a three-pointer. Then Seattle finally forced a turnover, and Diggins was fouled going for the layup. The Storm cut Minnesota’s 15-point lead down to seven at 36-29 after scores from Williams and Magbegor. Seattle had opportunities to cut the deficit even further, but they weren’t able to. Instead, Alanna Smith drilled a three-pointer with one second left on the shot clock to put Minnesota back up 10. At the half, the Lynx led 39-29.

Skylar scored to start the 2nd half. Diggins then found Gabby cutting to the basket for two. However, Minnesota quickly responded with four quick points of their own to put the Lynx back up 10. Another Kayla McBride triple gave Minnesota the 46-35 lead. A 10-2 run cut the Lynx's lead down to three. Minnesota led 54-51 at the end of the third.

Dom Malonga scored on one end but then gave up a backdoor cut against Collier on the other end. Seattle then gave up an offensive rebound and a basket to Jessica Shepard, which extended their lead. The Storm wouldn’t go away. Made shots by Erica Wheeler and Nneka cut it to two at 62-60. But every run Seattle made was answered by Minnesota. The Lynx made back-to-back three-pointers from Courtney Williams and Alanna Smith.

Skylar Diggins responded with a three-ball and was later fouled on a drive and made both free throws to cut the Storm’s deficit down to three at 72-69. Courtney Williams hit some key shots down the stretch. Nneka and Skylar scored to make it 76-73, Minnesota.

The Storm were never able to overcome that poor start where they got down 14-2. In the final 30 seconds, Seattle had to play the foul game, and Kayla McBride and Napheesa Collier made all six free throw attempts. Erica Wheeler hit a three with 11 seconds left as the Storm trailed by six. The Storm fell 82-77 to the Minnesota Lynx.

Final Box Score

Up Next

The Storm (3-2) return home to face the Atlanta Dream (4-2) on Friday, May 30th at 7:00 PM.

Part 2

Part 2 will include additional thoughts, quotes, and discussion from Tuesday’s game against the Lynx.

Notes:
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