Historically, when the Minnesota Lynx grab a large lead over an opponent early on in a game, there is little doubt that they will hold onto it.
In Sunday afternoon’s game in the nation’s capital, the rare occurrence of the opposite took place.
Minnesota — which led by as much as 18 points — blew a large lead and ultimately fell 90-78 to the Washington Mystics in the second game of the current three-game road trip.
The Lynx jumped out to a 15-point lead in the opening quarter, leading the Mystics 26-11 after one. Washington exploded in the second quarter, outscoring Minnesota 35-13 and not looking back.
To close out each half, the Mystics took care of business and it ended up being the difference-maker in the game. Washington outscored Minnesota a combined 59-23 in the second and fourth quarters.
To put Minnesota’s dominance with a lead into perspective, the Lynx have built a 20-point lead in 110 games in franchise history. They hold a record of 110-0 during that span.
Of course, an 18-point lead isn’t a 20-point lead, but it shows you how Minnesota has been able to put games away when building a large lead.
Two nights after lifting the Lynx with a late-game 3 in a win over New York, Maya Moore led Minnesota once again on Sunday, finishing with 18 points and four rebounds.
Sylvia Fowles, who was dealing with some ankle issues throughout the game, finished with 17 points, eight rebounds and three steals.
Kristi Toliver was one of the biggest factors for Washington in taking down Minnesota, lighting it up with five 3s to finish with a game-high 19 points. Another large factor was the Mystics bench, which outscored the Lynx bench 58-24.
Minnesota returns to action on Tuesday night when they take on former Lynx guard Renee Montgomery and the Atlanta Dream at 6 p.m. at McCamish Pavilion.
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