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Roman Augustoviz spends Minnesota's winters covering college hockey, specifically the Gophers, and other University of Minnesota sports. During the summer, he writes about the WNBA's Minnesota Lynx, with a dose of U sports sprinkled in. Follow him on Twitter @RomanStrib.
Lynx juggle lineup without Brunson; Wright starts
Posted by: Roman Augustoviz under Lynx Updated: July 10, 2012 - 7:51 AM
Third-year guard Monica Wright will get her third start of the season on Tuesday when the Lynx play at Tulsa.
She is taking the starting spot of forward Rebekkah Brunson, out with a strained left calf.
Wright has done well in her two previous starts, when she replaced Seimone Augustus who had a strained quad. She averaged 13 points, 4.5 rebounds and 3.0 assists in those games. One of those starts was against Tulsa.
Brunson's absence probably will be felt most on the boards. She was averaging 8.5 rebounds, fourth best in the league. Brunson will miss both Tulsa games this week but should be ready to play when the Lynx resume playing after the break for the London Summer Olympics.
* Point guard Lindsay Whalen is averaging 5.1 assists, which ties her for second in the WNBA.
* Seimone Augustus, the other starting guard, is shooting 52.6 percent on threes, third best in the league. ... She is one of the nominees for best WNBA player on the 2012 ESPYs. The athletic awards show is Wednesday.
The other nominees, for what they did in 2011, are Tamika Catchings of Indiana, the league MVP last year; Tina Charles of Connecticut, Angel McCoughtry of Atlanta and Diana Taurasi of Phoenix. Taurasi has won the award the past two years.
On Saturday, in loss to Connecticut, Augustus was five for six and had 12 points and two assists in first half. But she only had two points, on one for four shooting, in the second half and two more assists. Augustus also had four rebounds in 34:02, the most minutes of any Lynx.
Here is a list of winners before that:
2009: Candace Parker, Los Angeles
2008: Lauren Jackson, Seattle
2007: Lisa Leslie, Los Angeles
2006: Sheryl Swoopes, Houston
* Center Taj McWilliams-Franklin is averaging 7.5 rebounds in her last four games.
* The Lynx's road record is 5-3 this season after three consecutive setbacks away.
* The league's best three-point shooting team is the Lynx at 41.4 percent. Maya Moore is shooting 41.5 percent, Candice Wiggins 40.6
* Lynx attendance is inching upward. After a crowd of more than 10,000 against Connecticut on Sunday -- topped only by the turnout for the season opener -- the Lynx are averaging 9,272.
LEAGUE HONORS
The Lynx have had the best record in the WNBA from the beginning of the season until now,. but they have not had a player of the week. Last week, of course, they were 0-3 so being bypassed this week was expected.
Connecticut center Tina Charles was the East's player of the week. She averaged 21.5 points and 12.5 rebounds as the Sun beat Tulsa and the Lynx.
San Antonio guard Becky Hammon was the West's player of thwe week, even though her 24-point game with seven three-pointers against the Lynx didn't count because it was two Sundays ago. The Silver Stars went 3-0 the rest of the week as Hammon averaged 20.3 points and 4.8 assists. She was 13 for 29 on threes. ... Tulsa guard Ivory Latta also was nominated for the award.
CONNECTICUT MUSINGS
In the middle of the opening period, Rebekkah Brunson took shots on three of four possessions. It was bewildering. She is normally not the first, second or third option on offense. The only explanation seems to be the Lynx were trying to get Connecticut center Tina Charles in foul trouble.
The strategy backfired. Brunson was zero for five in the first quarter. And she missed three more shots in the second quarter before scoring inside on a rebound to tie the score at 34-all.
Guard Allison Hightower hit a three-pointer to give the Sun the lead the visitors never trailed again.
Brunson finished 1-for-10 shooting. Hard to imagine considering she went into the game shooting 53.6 percent from the field, fourth best in the league.
Brunson's shots:
1st qt.
Missed 17 foot jumper
Missed 15 foot jumper
Missed 5 foot jumper
Missed 2 foot layup
Missed 16 foot jumper ... five missed shots in first 5:45 ... did have four rebounds, one steal
2nd qt.
Missed 4 foot jumper
Missed 2 foot layup
Rebound, 2 foot shot for first and only basket with 2:48 left in first half ... played only 3:21 in second quarter, had two points, one rebound
3rd qt.
Missed 16 foot jumper
Makes one of two free throws.... Brunson has one point, three rebounds in 6:55.
4th qt.
Missed 11 foot jumper ... Brunson was replaced 1:18 into the quarter and did not return. ... She finished with three points, eight rebounds and one steal in 17:43.
* The start of the third quarter really put the Lynx in a hole. They were within 41-38 at halftime when the Sun opened the second half with a 12-2 run. Point guard Kara Lawson started it with back-to-back threes. After Augustus was late to cover Lawson on the second three-point attempt, Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve pulled Augustus after 1:15 and replaced her with Monica Wright.
* A 6-0 run, starting with a rebound basket late in the third quarter, gives the Sun a 74-54 lead 2:51 into the fourth quarter. Rally time. The Lynx outscore the Sun 21-4 over the next 5:52.
Taj McWilliams-Franklin starts the rally with a three-point play -- a basket inside and a free throw. Then the Lynx get hot from the outside and make five threes. Wiggins and Moore each make two, McWilliams--Franklin one.
Four of the threes came in a 1:56 span on four consecutive possessions.
McWilliams-Franklin had nine of her 15 points in that late run.
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