lynx/wnba
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.
Thorn shows she may be able to help Lynx in playoffs; other bench players struggle
Posted by: Roman Augustoviz under Lynx Updated: September 23, 2012 - 11:20 AM
"These girls are doing great, especially on this back to back," Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve said after her team beat injury-plagued Phoenix 89-66 on Friday.
"We wanted to come in [Friday] and play better, particularly since we didn’t play well [Thursday] night," Reeve said, referring to a one-sided loss at Los Angeles. "Physically, we’re playing well, and we were able to survive the toughest part of the season with no horrible injuries.”
The Lynx, counting Sunday's regular season-ending game at San Antonio on Sunday, will have played six of their last seven games on the road. So far they are 4-2 in that late tough stretch.
One of the stars of the Lynx rout over the Mercury was veteran guard Erin Thorn. She played 23 minutes -- more than triple who usually time -- and had 17 points, making five of eight three-point shots.
She had 10 points the night before against L.A.
“[Erin] certainly has played well these last couple of games," Reeve said. "Prior to that she wasn’t really getting too much time, so now we’re at the [end of the] season and we’re trying to cut back some minutes [from starters], and she’s definitely proven herself.
"We certainly won’t be gun-shy with her in the playoffs. We weren’t before, but now that we’ve seen her knock down some shots… We can see why we signed her. We have a team that it’s hard to get minutes on. ... She’s been patient, and has been through her ups and downs, but now she’s playing and is being productive. I’m really happy to see her make the most of her minutes.”
Three other bench players were not so productive.
Monica Wright and Candice Wiggins, normally the first two perimeter players off the bench, and backup post Jessica Adair were a combined 3x19. Each made one basket. Ugh.
Adair, bothered by injuries this season, looks out of shape. She played 20 minutes, and her three turnovers matched her point total.
MAYA PLEASED
Forward Maya Moore led the Lynx with 21 points and also had six rebounds.
“I was really proud of my team overall," she said. "I was just going in there and trying to play my role. We had some people come in and play big minutes for us. Erin Thorn came in and knocked down the three-ball, and was really poised out there.
"We got some big defensive stops and some major rebounds, and people filled in all around. It’s a really good feeling when we have those kinds of contributions, and are able to bounce back from a game like [Thursday] night.
"We’re building momentum with every game. We got one more, and then it’s [playoffs] time.”
The Lynx open their first-round, best-of-three playoff series against San Antonio on Friday at Target Center.
THORN HOT
"I got a couple open looks and I was able to knock those down," Thorn said about her 17-point game against the Mercury. "The rest of the team picked it up from there, and we got on a real roll. It was nice to be able to contribute to that run.”
She also hopes to help in the playoffs. "I don’t have a championship yet," Thorn said, "but [my teammates] all do, so I’m just trying to get my first. ... This is going to be fun.”
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| Chicago Cubs - M. Garza | 6:05 PM |
| Pittsburgh - W. Rodriguez |
| Detroit - M. Scherzer | 6:05 PM |
| Cleveland - C. Kluber |
| NY Yankees - P. Hughes | 6:05 PM |
| Baltimore - M. Gonzalez |
| Tampa Bay - A. Cobb | 6:07 PM |
| Toronto - R. Ortiz |
| Cincinnati - M. Leake | 6:10 PM |
| NY Mets - J. Niese |
| Philadelphia - T. Cloyd | 6:10 PM |
| Miami - J. Fernandez |
| Minnesota - M. Pelfrey | 6:10 PM |
| Atlanta - T. Hudson |
| Oakland - D. Straily | 7:05 PM |
| Texas - Y. Darvish |
| Los Angeles - Z. Greinke | 7:10 PM |
| Milwaukee - H. Burgos |
| Boston - F. Doubront | 7:10 PM |
| Chicago WSox - J. Quintana |
| Kansas City - W. Davis | 7:10 PM |
| Houston - B. Norris |
| Arizona - I. Kennedy | 7:40 PM |
| Colorado - J. Chacin |
| Seattle - A. Harang | 9:05 PM |
| LA Angels - J. Williams |
| St. Louis - A. Wainwright | 9:10 PM |
| San Diego - E. Volquez |
| Washington - S. Strasburg | 9:15 PM |
| San Francisco - M. Cain |
| Memphis | 8:00 PM |
| San Antonio |
- Competition still keen for Lynx's final roster spots
- Lynx waive Jessica Adair
- Lynx rout Mystics in preseason opener
- McCarville, Lindsey Moore out of today's game
- Wright to back up three positions
- McCarville and Lindsey Moore might miss preseason finale
- Moore rallies troops as Lynx open training camp
- Down on the farm with Janel McCarville
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