SEATTLE — Minnesota’s nine-game winning streak to open their season was cut short Wednesday night by the Seattle Storm, who beat the Lynx 94-84.
Minnesota forward Napheesa Collier put up a game-high 25 points and nine rebounds. Behind her, Kayla McBride had 19 points and four rebounds.
Despite Minnesota’s 11 point lead by the middle of the 3rd quarter (60-49), Seattle was able to rally a response. They were led by Nneka Ogwumike’s 21 points and 10 rebounds and Erika Wheeler’s 20 points and 2 rebounds.
Ultimately, it was defense where the Lynx fell behind. Beyond allowing the Storm to come back, they also gave up as many as 22 points on turnovers, a crushing blow for a team that takes pride in their defensive end.
The Lynx started their season in perfect step with the New York Liberty, who lead the eastern conference, with both teams remaining undefeated until this week. After losing to New York in game five of the finals last year, the team is hoping to stage a comeback, but Seattle proved that it’s going to take work.
Following the loss, head coach Cheryl Reeve’s message was blunt. “We didn’t play well enough to win. It’s probably a good message: If you want to win on the road, especially a place like Seattle and a team like Seattle, you’ve got to play a hell of a lot better.”
This message is going to be important for a team that has cruised through their season relatively smoothly up until this point, hyped by the faux feeling of invincibility.
The Lynx will return home on Saturday to play the Los Angeles Sparks (4-7).
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