Trending downward, Lynx lose another

In their first 12 years of existence, the Lynx have made a habit of losing winnable games. Only once have they finished a season with a winning record.

But their 13th season was supposed to be different. The Lynx have Seimone Augustus, rookie sensation Maya Moore, home-state legend Lindsay Whalen, double-double force Rebekkah Brunson and on and on.

All four of those Lynx played well at times Sunday against Eastern Conference-leading Indiana at Target Center. In the end, though, the Lynx lost their second game in three days, falling 78-75 to the Fever in frustrating fashion.

Those in the announced crowd of 7,117 had their hopes rise and fall several times in the last minute alone.

Katie Douglas, who scored a game-high 22 points for the Fever, made one of two free throws with 18.2 seconds to put Indiana ahead 76-73.

The Lynx still had a chance, but Augustus missed a desperation three-pointer with eight seconds left. But wait, she was fouled.

Augustus, the team's best free-throw shooter after starting the season 18-for-20, could have tied the score from the foul line, but she missed her first attempt. After making the second, she tried to miss the third, but the shot banked in and cut the Fever's lead to 76-75.

"It is just how the game goes sometimes. You are trying to miss and you make. You are trying to make and you miss."

Reserve Jeanette Pohlen made two free throws with 5.6 seconds left for the Fever's final three-point margin.

Moore led the Lynx with 21 points, tying her season high, but made two key late turnovers.

"We all took our turns at the end, just not making plays," Reeve said. "It was a pretty quiet locker room, a pretty disappointed locker room."

The Lynx (5-3) were coming off a 65-55 loss at Seattle on Friday; the Fever (6-3) had beaten Connecticut 75-70 at home Saturday night, so they should have been more tired. Because of the GLBT parade on Hennepin Avenue, the Fever even had to walk 10 blocks from an airport bus to their downtown hotel. Coach Lin Dunn, who looks like a kindly grandmother, tweeted a bad word, then later apologized.

WNBA general managers tabbed the Lynx as the league's most improved team in a preseason survey and Minnesota had been rated No. 1 in wnba.com's power ratings the past two weeks.

"We haven't proven anything yet," Moore said. "We just have to be the mentally tougher team for longer stretches."