Natisha Hiedeman and Courtney Williams combine for 34 points as Minnesota gets back in the win column.
Game Story
The Minnesota Lynx came into this on the end of a back-to-back, flying in after a loss in Phoenix less than 24 hours ago. It was just their third defeat of the season. Early tips always feel like a good excuse for poor play, but the Lynx came in determined to right the ship against their old rival Los Angeles Sparks.
The shouting of hundreds of kids couldn’t stop them today.
Alanna Smith, who just went 0 for 3 from perimeter less than 24 hours ago, canned the very first triple of the game. Napheesa Collier also sunk an early jumper after struggling to get going against the Mercury. It looked like it was going to be smooth sailing tonight.
The Sparks immediately answered the call, rattling off a massive 16-0 run in the first quarter thanks to four Minnesota turnovers and six straight missed three point attempts. Suddenly, the Lynx were staring down a barrel of a double-digit deficit just six minutes into the game.
Thankfully, Head Coach Cheryl Reeve has the talents of Natisha Hiedeman and Jessica Shepard off the bench.
They took them only three minutes to completely wipe away the Sparks lead. Hiedeman was red hot, scoring 10 points in that stretch. That was just a sign of things to come, as one half of the Stud Budz continued to play with the frenetic energy on the offensive end. By the time the Minnesota headed into halftime break with a 10-point lead, Hiedeman led all players with 16 points, just two off her season high.
As we’ve come to expect, the Lynx came out of the tunnel playing with a level of vigor that we’ve come to expect. They completely eradicated the Sparks with their defensive intensity. Los Angeles coughed up the ball six times in the first five minutes of the quarter as everyone on the Minnesota roster kept pouring in points. Bridget Carleton and Kayla McBride finally got on the board after rolling donuts in the first half.
Before you knew it, Minnesota dropped a 30-point quarter on 56.5% shooting, taking a 27-point lead.
The fourth was purely academic. The energy from the crowd never dissipated as they celebrated the birthday of Sparks mascot, Sparky. The kids were loving it. If only the home team showed that same sense of life. To their credit, they did bridge the final two quarters with a 14-0 run to get within 10, but Reeve was quick to put the starters back in. Back-to-back scores by Smith and Williams helped stretch it out enough so that LA never got within single digits (not counting garbage time).
It was a strong bounce back performance by the Lynx after a relatively poor effort the night before. They now improve to 18-3 with just about half the season over.
Quick Hits
- Masha Kliundikova continues to really impress. It was hard to take your eyes off just how physically imposing she is on the court. She repeated swallowed up attackers on defense and hustled for loose balls. Her fundamentals are also super solid, showing great touch and positioning. What a find/pick-up by Reeve who continues to prove she’s the best to ever do it.
- Jessica Shepard was instrumental early in the game by playing aggressive offense. She repeatedly drove baseline and either created for herself or her teammates.
- Bridget Carleton and Kayla McBride combined to go 0 of 6 from the field in the first half. Well, Carleton in particular didn’t attempt a single field goal attempt while McBride missed all five of her three point attempts. Reeve mentioned after a recent game against the Valkyries that she needs Carleton to find her shot. Both immediately scored their first baskets early in the second half.
- In just her third game for the Sparks, Julie Vanloo was a flamethrower. She notched 15 points in just 15 minutes, going 5 for 7 from beyond the arc. She was the main reason Los Angeles went on their late run, but was inexplicably benched after her fifth trey.
Highlights
Coming soon
Box Score
Up Next
Minnesota continues through their second straight gauntlet of five games in eight nights, getting just one day off on Friday (which is still a travel day). They visit the Chicago Sky on Saturday, July 12th at 12:00 PM CT. This first of a road-road set isn’t listed as a camp day game, yet it’ll be the third straight match where they play at 12:30 PM local time or earlier.