Augustus, Brunson lead Lynx to 6-0

The Lynx finished strong to beat Connecticut 85-72, outscoring the Sun 14-4 in last 3-1/2 minutes.

June 2, 2012 at 4:24AM
Minnesota Lynx players celebrate in the final minutes of play in a WNBA basketball game against the Connecticut Sun in Uncasville, Conn., Friday, June 1, 2012. Minnesota won 85-72.
Minnesota Lynx players celebrate in the final minutes of play in a WNBA basketball game against the Connecticut Sun in Uncasville, Conn., Friday, June 1, 2012. Minnesota won 85-72. (Associated Press - Ap/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

The Lynx erased some bad memories at the Mohegan Sun Arena on Friday night. They had not won there since beating Connecticut 68-52 on July 22, 2004, losing regularly once a year. That adds up to a seven-game losing string to the Sun on its home court.

Even last year, when they won the WNBA title, they were crushed by the Sun 108-79 as visitors.

Not this time. The Lynx beat Connecticut 85-72 in a game that looked like it would go down to the last possession. It didn't.

With the Lynx holding a 71-68 lead, Taj McWilliams-Franklin, the ageless one, grabbed an offensive rebound, put the ball in and was fouled. She completed the three-point play for a 74-68 lead. The Sun answered with a quick two-point basket but were outscored 11-2 after that.

The win gives the Lynx a 6-0 record, their best start in franchise history. They have won 12 games in a row going back to the playoffs last year -- an unofficial team record.

This was also their ninth regular-season win in a row, tying the official record for consecutive wins set last year from July 5 to August 7.

They also have won a franchise-best eight games in a row on the road.

Seimone Augustus led the Lynx with a game-high 23 points. Rebekkah Brunson also had a huge game with 14 points and 13 rebounds, her first double-double of the season.

McWilliams-Franklin, who had that key three-points play, finished with nine points and seven boards.

And, off the bench, Monica Wright was her new aggressive self with 13 points. The Lynx needed her this game because Maya Moore, going back to Connecticut where she starred at UConn, was mostly ineffective. She had three points, zero rebounds.

A year ago at Connecticut, Moore also struggled. She went one for seven from the field and had two points

The Lynx shot 50 percent exactly, reaching that mark or better for the fifth time in six games. They also outrebounded the Sun 45-34.

Connecticut (3-1) is one of the best teams in the league at home. The Sun were 15-2 at home last season and 2-0 this season.

Tina Charles, a 6-4 center and two-time all-star, had 20 points and 12 rebounds for the Sun, but all those points and 11 of those rebounds came in the first 2-1/2 quarters.

At times, both teams looked bad. The Lynx committed 20 turnovers and were behind 63-58 with under eight minutes left. They also have up 19 offensive rebounds to the Sun. And twice they fouled three-point shooters when they probably didn't have to.

The Sun shot horribly at times, starting the game four for 22 from the field. The Sun was two for 19 on shots from behind the arc. just awful.

* The Lynx are now 12-13 against the Sun in their all-time series, 4-9 in away games.

6-0 START PUTS LYNX IN RARE CLUB

Only six other WNBA teams have started the season with six or more wins and each of them reached the league finals. Here is the list:

# Team Year Final Postseason
9 Los Angeles 2003 24-10 Lost in Finals
9 Los Angeles 2001 28-4 WNBA Champs
7 Detroit 2007 24-10 Lost in Finals
7 Houston 1999 26-6 WNBA Champs
7 New York 1997 17-11 Lost in Finals
6 Minnesota 2012 ??? ???
6 Atlanta 2010 19-15 Lost in Finals

Source: Lynx PR

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