lynx/wnba

HOUSTON - There's good reason to have guard Seimone Augustus on the Lynx media guide this season. The rookie from LSU has looked like a seasoned veteran among veterans, leading the league in scoring (23.2) after five games.

But the Lynx need two or three other players the caliber of Augustus after facing the Houston Comets on Sunday.

Behind a career-high 24 points from center Michelle Snow and a swarming defense led by forward Sheryl Swoopes, the Comets ended the Lynx's two-game winning streak with an 85-62 victory at Toyota Center.

"We got out-rebounded, we had too many turnovers, and we didn't shoot the ball well," coach Suzie McConnell Serio said. "We are a team that thrives on getting off to a good start. We've seen that in the last two games and they just took a lot of our first options away and made us work for everything we got.

"We got some good looks but just weren't able to knock them down. We just got outplayed, there's no doubt about it. They were the better team tonight."

The Lynx are 2-4 overall and 0-3 on the road in the early going. Houston won its fifth in a row and is off to its best start since 2001.

The Comets lead the WNBA in team defense (64.8 points per game) and held the Lynx to a season-low 62 points. Their previous low was 69, against both Connecticut and Detroit May 23 and 24.

Houston outrebounded the Lynx 39-28 as Snow pulled down nine caroms and Swoopes eight. Lynx center Nicole Ohlde had six boards.

Minnesota outscored the Comets 18-17 in the third quarter to cut the lead to 11 but Houston outscored the Lynx 11-3 to open the final period. Swoopes finished the game with 13 points while Thompson added 16.

"We need to finish games," said Augustus, who scored a team-high 20 points. "There was times in this game when I thought we could cut down their lead when they were up by 10 and we didn't. It's about being competitive the whole game. There were points where we were lackadaisical and they took advantage of it."