The Minnesota Lynx and the Phoenix Mercury began the 2018 WNBA season heading basically in two different directions.
Minnesota started the year struggling, trying to avoid falling into a hole while falling down the WNBA standings early in the year.
Phoenix kicked off the season as one of the hottest teams in the league, entering Friday night’s game winners of eight straight while hovering around the top spot in the WNBA.
But on Friday night, the Lynx were the better team, coming away with an 83-72 win over the Mercury at Talking Stick Resort Arena in Phoenix.
With the win, Minnesota secured its third straight victory while snapping Phoenix’s WNBA-best eight-game winning streak.
The Lynx jumped out an early lead in the game, holding a 25-13 advantage following the opening quarter. The first quarter was highlighted by Lindsay Whalen, who opened the game up with six quick points. Cecilia Zandalasini continued her hot streak, lead all scorers after one quarter with seven points.
Minnesota carried that first quarter dominance into the second quarter, taking a 46-30 lead into halftime. The Lynx defense held the Mercury to shooting 36.7 percent from the field, while finishing at 48.7 percent shooting.
Heading into the second half with a 16-point lead, Minnesota didn’t let up the rest of the way, taking down Phoenix in the first game of a two-game road trip.
Maya Moore continued to showcase her case as an early candidate for MVP this season in the win, finishing with 23 points, six rebounds and five assists. Her 23-point performance was the fifth time this season she surpassed the 20-point mark.
Whalen followed Moore with 15 points, her highest point total this season since she scored 17 points in the season opener against Los Angeles. Whalen recorded a career-high-tying five steals, along with three rebounds and two assists.
Seimone Augustus added 14 points in 24-plus minutes, while Sylvia Fowles tallied her WNBA-leading ninth double-double of the season with 11 points, 10 rebounds and four assists.
The Lynx offense mirrored their performance from last Tuesday’s win over Dallas, sharing the ball while recording 20 assists on 32 made baskets. Minnesota also continued to shoot the ball well, tallying a 45.1 percent mark from the field.
Mercury’s dominating duo of Brittney Griner and Diana Taurasi each had nice outings in Friday’s game, but Minnesota was able to hold the rest of Phoenix in check. Griner finished with a double-double of 18 points and 13 rebounds, while Taurasi — the WNBA’s all-time leading scorer — had a team-high 23 points.
With the win, the Lynx return back to a .500 record at 6-6 overall. They are now in eighth place in the WNBA standings, trailing the Sparks (9-3) and the Mercury (10-4) by three games for the top spot in the league.
Minnesota will wrap up its two-game road trip on Sunday when it travels to Las Vegas to face the Aces at 5 p.m. at Mandalay Bay Events Center.
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