Near the end of a second half nobody on the Lynx could explain, her team clinging to a three-point lead, Maya Moore came off a screen, was given the ball by center Sylvia Fowles, tried to change directions, slipped and fell.
She got up.
Keeping the dribble with her left hand, steadying herself with the right, she launched a 17-foot shot off her left leg that went through the hoop with 44.7 seconds left, essentially icing Minnesota's 75-69 victory over Washington on Friday at Target Center.
"That was called a slip, a kneepad slide, get back up, crossover,'' Moore said.
Or you can call it a metaphor.
On a day when Minnesota spent the final 20 minutes stumbling on the offensive end, the Lynx righted themselves and remained tied with Los Angeles for the best record in the WNBA (23-5). Up by 13 late in the first half and by nine entering the second, the Lynx proceeded to shoot 25.9 percent and turn the ball over six times, spending much of the third quarter without a field goal.
But they still beat the pesky Mystics (10-17), who always seem to give the Lynx a hard time.
"We didn't come out at halftime," Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve said. "We never came back out. We were gassed really early. Our bench production was subpar. And it just snowballed. But what was most important is finding ways to win these games. We'll talk about what happened afterwards. But, by whatever means necessary, get the W.''
