The way in which the L.A. Sparks covered Minnesota Lynx guard Courtney Williams made the difference in how her teammates got open during Saturday afternoon’s game at Target Center. File photo by Abe Booker III/Sportspage Magazine
MINNEAPOLIS – The Minnesota Lynx used a high scoring efficient first quarter to propel them to a dominating 101-78 victory over the Los Angeles Sparks in front of a sellout crowd of 10,810 at Target Center on Saturday afternoon. The game also signified a bounce back of sorts for the Lynx, who sustained their first loss of the season on Wednesday.
The mood was somber at Target Center at the start of the game as word was out that Minnesota State Representative Melissa Hortman and her husband were assassinated earlier in the morning. A moment of silence was held in their memory before the game tipped off.
It was the Sparks who got things going early on with a three pointer from forward Rickea Jackson and a tip-in from forward Dearica Hamby. Lynx guard Courtney Williams hit a jump shot in between the two Sparks baskets. Los Angeles led 5-2 with 8:39 left in the opening quarter.
Lynx forward Napheesa Collier had the hot hand early. She went on a personal 7-1 run with two layups and a three-pointer, while the Sparks mustered up one free throw in two attempts when guard Sarah Ashlee Barker was fouled by Minnesota guard Kayla McBride.
After a layup from Jackson to make the score 9-8 in favor of the Lynx, Minnesota broke open the quarter with a 15-0 run. McBride made a layup, then the Lynx scored three consecutive three-pointers by Courtney Williams, forward Alanna Smith and Collier. After a three point miss by Lynx guard Natisha Hiedeman, Collier made a put back layup, which she followed up with a turnaround jump shot. Minnesota led 24-8 with 2:53 left in the first quarter.
Los Angeles forwards Azura Stevens and Liatu King each made two free throws and guard Kelsey Plum made a three-pointer. That was answered by three pointers from Collier and forward Bridget Carleton, along with layups from Collier and forward Alissa Pili. Minnesota had a commanding 34-15 lead at the quarter break.
During the first quarter, Minnesota shot 73.7 percent from the field on 14-for-19 shooting, and hovered just under the 80 percent mark with less than two minutes left on the clock. The Sparks went 4-for-17 for 23.5 percent field goal shooting in the frame.
The second quarter continued much like the first. Hamby and Sparks forward Emma Cannon each made layups to open the quarter, but Minnesota answered with another deep run.
Courtney Williams made a fast break layup, a midrange jump shot, and a three-pointer. Collier made two jump shots and four free throws, though two of them were taken away to correct an official’s error. Lynx forward Maria Kliundikova even scored a layup during this run. The Sparks only mustered up a three-pointer from Jackson and one free throw from Barker during the stretch. Minnesota led 53-23 with 1:02 remaining in the half when they finished their 19-4 run.
The last minute of the half featured a three-pointer and jump shot from Hiedeman, while Plum made three free throws for Los Angeles. The Lynx led 58-26 at halftime. The Sparks had turned the ball over 12 times leading to 16 first half points for the Lynx, compared to Minnesota’s five turnovers giving up four points to the Sparks.
The Sparks fared somewhat better in the third quarter, but the Lynx didn’t let them back in the game as each team gave up a series of short runs, but nothing decisive either way.
Courtney Williams converted two of three free throw attempts after getting fouled by Stevens while attempting a three-pointer. This was answered by two free throws by Plum, after getting fouled by Williams.
Collier hit a turnaround jump shot and Hamby answered with a layup. Plum shot a three-pointer and Collier made two layups. The Lynx held a comfortable 66-33 lead with 5:50 left in the quarter.
Plum and Jackson stepped up their presence during the rest of the quarter. Jackson scored eight points and Plum added five more during the remainder of the quarter. The Sparks field goal percentage improved to 39.0 percent, but Minnesota still shot 57.4 percent and held a 78-51 lead after three quarters.
The Lynx pulled their starters for the fourth quarter and elected to give their bench players the opportunity to gain valuable minutes, while Los Angeles played a mix of starters and bench players.
The bright spot for Minnesota was Kliundikova. The recently acquired 6-foot-4 forward from Russia scored nine points in the quarter. Her 6-foot-1 Russian forward teammate Anastasiia Olairi Kosu also got valuable playing time and ended up with three points. Guard Shey Peddy and rookie forward Sania Feagin were able to get some minutes in for Los Angeles. Peddy scored three points and Feagin chipped in with two points during their limited minutes. When the final buzzer sounded, the Lynx were on top 101-78.
Minnesota went 41-for-72 (56.9 percent) from the field; 12-for-29 (41.4 percent) from three-point range; and 7-for-10 (70.0 percent) from the free throw line. The turned the ball over nine times for 10 Sparks points.
“We set the tone defensively and we did it through the first half. We didn’t get as much done in the second half,” said Lynx head coach Cheryl Reeve. “But we set the tone, which allowed us to play free at the other end and I was pleased with what we did at that end of the floor.”
Los Angeles went 24-for-58 (41.4 percent) from the field; 8-for-15 (53.3 percent) from three-point range; and 22-for-28 (78.6 percent) from the charity stripe. They committed 21 turnovers for 29 Lynx points.
“We had just a horrible first half. Ended up winning the second, but it’s just a terrible first half,” said Sparks head coach Lynne Roberts. “Coming in here, you can’t expect to win if you come out like that. We were not good in all areas…I was proud of our toughness and intensity in the second half. It was just 20 minutes too late.”
The Lynx led 50-30 in points-in-the-paint, but the Sparks bested them in second chance points (16-12) and fast break points (9-8). There were no ties and one lead change. Courtney Williams picked up a defensive three seconds technical foul at the 8:46 mark of the third quarter.
“Courtney [Williams] set the tone making Courtney shots – the pull ups, the three’s, so she got going with that. That efficiency really helped us. It opened up things for us because they went to point of attack of bringing two to Courtney, and four our team, when you do that, our eyes light up,” said Reeve. “We’re good cutters. We share the ball well and we were in position to getting some easy shots.”
Minnesota was led by 32 points from Napheesa Collier. Courtney Williams scored 17, Natisha Hiedeman added 14 and Maria Kliundikova pitched in for 11 points. Collier also led Minnesota with eight rebounds and six assists.
“We knew we had to reset. That’s exactly what we did at practice. We went back to our fundamentals. Our defensive intensity was a point of emphasis at practice and we definitely relayed it to the game,” said Williams.
Los Angeles was led by 20 points from Kelsey Plum. Rickea Jackson added 18, Emma Cannon put up a quiet 14 points and Dearica Hamby chipped in 10 points. Hamby’s 12 rebounds led all rebounders and Plum dished four assists to lead the Sparks.
“We gotta be better in the first half. That’s what it comes down to. Regardless of what the accolades are, the points are, it doesn’t matter with a loss,” said Cannon.
Minnesota (10-1) hosts the Las Vegas Aces (5-5) at 7 p.m. CT Tuesday at Target Center. Los Angeles (4-8) hosts the Seattle Storm (6-5) at 9 p.m. CT
