Lynx 77, Sun 70: Minnesota’s Suffocating Defense Shuts Down Connecticut to Knot Series

The Minnesota Lynx held the Connecticut Sun to just 36% shooting from the field to even up the the semi-finals.

In a must-win game for the Minnesota Lynx, they looked to tie the series at 1-1 before heading on the road and into Friday’s game three. Teams trailing two games to none in the WNBA semi-finals are 0-18 when it comes to advancing to the next round.

Both teams came out sleepwalking in the first quarter as neither team scored for the first minute and a half of action. Minnesota didn’t score until a Courtney Williams layup with 6:22 on the clock, allowing the fans to finally take their seats per their home game ritual. The Lynx missed eight field goals before that bucket. Even though they broke the drought, both teams still struggled to put the ball in the basket. The defensive rotations were on point which led to plenty of deep shot clock heaves careening off the rim. This all ended in a 12-10 Lynx lead at the end of the first quarter. Minnesota’s frontcourt led the way, Alanna Smith and Napheesa Collier each scoring five points.

Photo by Jordan Johnson/NBAE via Getty Images

The second quarter is where both sides finally woke up. Bridget Carleton scored a quick seven points to kick things off as the home team grew their lead to six. Some early game struggles found their way back into the game, but Minnesota was able to maintain their slight advantage going into halftime up 36-30.

Out of the tunnels, the Lynx started to take control of the game and run with it. They opened the second half on a 7-0 run to break out their largest lead of the night of 13. However, the Sun wouldn’t go away. After a quick timeout, they managed to keep the game within single digits as the third quarter began to wind down.

The last four minutes were all Courtney Williams though.

Williams scored nine points down the stretch of the third, gaining plenty of new fans in the process. Her huge buckets down the stretch stretched the Minnesota lead back up to 11 before a twirling circus shot by Thomas at the end of the quarter buzzer made the score 58-49.

It was time for Minnesota to take a stand.

The Lynx turned the lights off on the Sun in the fourth quarter, only allowing two points in the first three minutes while scoring six of their own. Connecticut desperately tried to get back in the game, but they were met with timely baskets and a defense that flew around the court. A staple of what has made the Lynx so fun to watch this year. Williams capped the win with a driving layup as classic chants of “Whose house? Our house!” rang throughout Target Center.

Let’s dive into some takeaways!

Key Takeaways

Padlocked on Offense

There were plenty of times tonight where Connecticut would run their offense to perfection, and yet still nothing would be open. Minnesota did an excellent job of forcing the Sun into late shot clock situations and making them take low-percentage heaves with little to no chance of dropping. Along with this, they executed the Alyssa Thomas gameplay effectively: Pick one of her passing OR scoring to beat you with, and don’t let her have both. Thomas led the Sun in scoring tonight with 18 and though she ended up with 7 assists, her passing was not as effective as we are used to seeing. Connecticut loves to use Thomas as a hub and let her make reads, but the Lynx did a great job covering for each other and not letting Thomas pick them apart offensively.

The Steady Presence of Alanna Smith

Alanna Smith did not have the loudest night on either end of the floor, but she was a calming presence and hit a few big shots as the Sun tried to gain momentum. She scored 15 points (second behind Williams) and was easily the most efficient scorer on the team. She shot 6/8 from the field to go along with six rebounds. The seven points she scored in the fourth quarter included a three-pointer with three minutes left that took the wind out of the sails for a Connecticut team for good. Smith will not be the most lauded performer tonight, but she kept the rhythm of the squad throughout the game.

Winning with Phee’s Poor Shooting

Napheesa Collier shot 3/14 from the field for only 9 points in a game that the Lynx won by seven. This is a great showcase of the depth that Minnesota has when their star player is having an off-night scoring. Connecticut has a great matchup for Collier in Alyssa Thomas, a first-team All-Defense selection this season. What makes Collier great is her lethal combination of speed and strength, inherently making her a mismatch for defenders. Thomas is a strongly built player who is quick enough to stay with Collier and able to body her defensively though. Minnesota will need to help scheme up more ways to get their captain more open looks in the next games, but their ability to figure it out with her not having the best night shooting the ball is a great sign for the rest of the series.

Photo by Jordan Johnson/NBAE via Getty Images

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Up Next

The Lynx have tied the series at 1-1 and will head to Connecticut to play on Friday, October 4th at 6:30 pm and televised on ESPN2. This is an important swing game to see who will take control of the series, and who will be fighting off their back foot.

Highlights