Lynx come undone in second half in 94-78 loss at Dallas

There’s at all times 1 / 4, it appears.

The Lynx dropped to 1-6 with a 94-78 loss at Dallas on Saturday evening. It was a sport that performed out like so many losses have for the Lynx this season, with one quarter being the distinction. One quarter the place issues go off the rails.

“Each sport,” Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve stated. “And till we discover a defensive identification, and play with some toughness and do not get out-worked, that is going to be the end result.”

Saturday, it was the third quarter.

Within the first half, the Lynx performed OK protection, stored one thing of a lid on the Wings’ outdoors shooters, did sufficient towards a fast Dallas workforce that attempted to stress the ball whereas constructing a 45-43 lead.

However then, the third quarter:

Dallas made 12 of 20 photographs., together with 5 of 10 threes. The Wings outrebounded the Lynx 11-3, utilizing six offensive rebounds to attain 12 factors, fueling an offense that outscored the Lynx 36-19. It was 10 minutes of frustration that turned an in depth sport right into a Wings stroll. To Reeve, it was a microcosm of the season up to now.

“Simply choose one thing defensively,” she stated. “Any fundamental stuff. Assist and assist the helper. You already know while you’re giving up penetration they are going to come in your bottom on the glass. So put a physique on individuals. This was not a shock to us. We actually wished to maintain them off the glass. That was a precedence. You in all probability could not inform.”

The Wings (4-2) turned 15 Lynx turnovers into 21 factors. They turned 15 offensive rebounds into 23 extra.

All 5 Lynx starters scored in double figures, with Sylvia Fowles, Jessica Shepard and Kayla McBride all scoring 14 factors. Fowles additionally had 9 rebounds, 4 blocks and three steals. No different starter had greater than 4 rebounds.

Dallas bought 20 factors and 7 assists from Arike Ogunbowale, and 22 factors and 5 rebounds from Marina Mabrey. The Wings bench outscored the Lynx reserves 27-12. That quantity was 21-2 by means of three quarters.

Defensively, the Lynx have but to reach on the identical web page. As Shepard stated, the workforce has not been cohesive on that finish.

“We talked about it,” she stated. “When one particular person strikes it ought to sort of be like a string, we’re all transferring. I believe for us, we have to get into the health club and get higher at taking part in collectively, transferring collectively.”

After Saturday’s sport, the Lynx stand eleventh out of 12 WNBA groups in opponents’ factors off turnovers (19.7 per sport) and final in second-chance factors allowed (12.9).

“It is belief and serving to one another,” stated level guard Moriah Jefferson of the protection. Taking part in in her first sport in Dallas since being waived by the Wings earlier this season, Jefferson had 12 factors and 4 assists. “We’ll be higher. I am going to verify of that.”

After the sport, Reeve did not sound like she essentially agreed, questioning aloud if this Lynx workforce has what it takes.

“We’re 1-6,” she stated. “That is precisely proper. Individuals discuss, ‘Effectively, you performed them powerful. We performed any individual like Las Vegas powerful.’ That is our new normal. We’ll proceed to not achieve success till we’ve got the collective will that we, as a training workers, are in search of. And perhaps this group would not have it.”

The Star Tribune didn’t journey for this occasion. This text was written utilizing the tv broadcast and video interviews earlier than and/or after the occasion.