The Lynx battled the Los Angeles Sparks to an 84-84 tie through four quarters Sunday before an announced crowd of 9,433 at Target Center, a lower-bowl sellout. But if a team doesn't score in the five-minute overtime, it's difficult to prevail.
Lisa Leslie, a 6-5 center, made an 18-footer on the Sparks' first possession in the extra period, and those two points alone would have sufficed.
Los Angeles, the preseason WNBA title favorite, outscored the Lynx 8-0 in overtime and pulled away to a 92-84 victory. The three Olympians on the Sparks' front line combined for 64 points.
Leslie, a three-time gold medal winner, had 23 points, as did 6-4 rookie forward Candace Parker, including 20 in the first half on 9-for-11 shooting. DeLisha Milton-Jones, a 6-1 forward, added 18 points.
"They have three Olympians, we have one, [and] our second-leading scorer [Candice Wiggins] was out," Lynx coach Don Zierden said.
Wiggins missed her second game in a row after suffering a lower-back bruise in a victory Thursday at Indiana. Charde Houston, who suffered a knee injury in the same game, did play after being out one game and had 15 points.
Except for the deflating outcome, the atmosphere in the arena on First Avenue was as festive as it gets in the WNBA.
Hundreds were lined up before the doors opened up one hour before the tipoff.