It was a classic Cheryl Reeve joke, one aimed directly at herself.
The Lynx had just defeated Los Angeles at home on Tuesday night, a victory earned mainly on the shoulders of veterans Maya Moore, Lindsay Whalen and Janel McCarville.
But rookie Tricia Liston had her best game. She had hit on two of three three-pointers for eight points, with three assists in 17 minutes, probably her most consistent game of the season.
"She's growing," Reeve said. "She understands me a little more to know she doesn't have to pay so much attention to my yelling."
Seriously, though, Liston appears to have turned a corner with her confidence. Drafted with the final pick (12th overall) in the first round of the 2014 WNBA draft, Liston came to the Lynx from Duke with the reputation as a three-point sharpshooter. Except that, for much of the early part of the season, she seemed reluctant to take a shot when it was open.
Finally, she's letting it fly. "She just needed to feel some confidence," Reeve said after Saturday's practice. "For her, it was an evolution. When she first got here early in camp, there were no veterans here and she was confident. Then the veterans got her and you didn't hear from her for a while."
But lately she has provided the second unit with a shooting threat. Liston has hit on five of eight three-pointers the past three games. For the season, she is 12-for-25 on three-pointers. Only Moore has hit more for the Lynx, and Liston's 48 percent shooting from long range is team's best. on the team.
"My teammates have done a good job of helping me out, telling me to shoot it, not to pass up shots," Liston said. "And they've let me know they feel comfortable with me taking the shots. "
