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| UConn legend Maya Moore (right) and former Sun star Lindsay Whalen are two key components in Minnesota's plan to repeat as WNBA champs. |
By Bob Phillips
WHITE PLAINS, NY—The game may have been
played in Westchester County, but may have well been in Storrs. Or Uncasville. Led
by UConn legend Maya Moore (20 points, including the game-winning
three-pointer), the defending WNBA champion Minnesota Lynx topped the New York
Liberty, 78-72, before 2,315 fans at the Westchester County Center. After
several years at Madison Square Garden, the team relocated to White Plains this
season to play at a venue more fitting with the size crowds it usually draws.
Seimone Augustus led all scorers
with 21 points, including nine in the final stretch for Minnesota. Down 72-71
with just 19.5 seconds left in regulation, Moore drilled one in from downtown Poughkeepsie
to give the Lynx, who outscored the Liberty 23-13 in the fourth quarter, a
two-point advantage and a lead they would not relinquish. That dominant fourth-quarter
play reversed the Lynx third-quarter performance, a period dominated by the
Liberty to the tune 23-14.
Moore, a Jefferson City, Mo., native
who had one of the most illustrious careers among a myriad of illustrious
careers at UConn. Among her many achievements in Storrs:
As UConn’s captain, she led the Huskies to two national championship. Moore,
who will turn 29 on June 11, became just the second player in NCAA history to
be named a four-time All-American. She was instrumental in an astounding
90-game Connecticut winning streak, and concluded her collegiate career with a
150-4 record, which established an all-time NCAA mark for career wins—male or
female.
Oh, did I mention that she also ended her run in Storrs as UConn’s career
scoring leaders with a total of 3,036 points – surpassing Tina Charles’ total
of 2,346? Moore was selected No. 1 overall in the 2011 WNBA Draft, and her
accomplishments continued in the Gopher State. Among her professional
achievements:
- Four WNBA Championships (2011, 2013, 2015, 2017)
- WNBA Finals MVP (2013)
- WNBA Most Valuable Player (2014)
- WNBA Rookie of the Year (2011)
- All-WNBA First Team (2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017)
- Lynx career leader in three-point FGs (464), steals (392) and blocks (164)
- Lynx single-season record for points (812, 2014)
She was also a key member of the
U.S. gold-medal winning Olympic teams in London in 2012 and Rio de Janeiro in
2016, where she played for her college mentor, Geno Auriemma, both times.
But Moore was hardly the sole
Connecticut presence on the court last night. Tina Charles, who left Storrs as UConn’s
all-time leading scorer and rebounder in 2010, was the No. 1 overall pick by
the Sun that year. The Jamaica, Queens native had an incredible rookie season
in Uncasville with 22 Double-Doubles and a new league record for rebounds in a
single season (398), earning her WNBA Rookie of the Year accolades. Last night,
Charles put up a Double-D (18 points, 12 boards).
Rookie Kia Nurse added 14 and hauled
down 5 rebounds off the Liberty bench. Nurse shot 50 percent from beyond the
arc (3-for-6) and was a perfect 3-for-3 from the charity stripe. The Liberty
roster also included point guard Bria Hartley (4 points, 3 assists) and center
Kia Stokes (4 points, 2 boards). Minnesota’s roster included Lindsay Whalen,
who broke into the league with the Sun before being traded to her home-state
team. The former Minnesota Gopher star had an off night, shooting 0-for-4 from
the floor and scoring just one point. She did, however, grab four rebounds.
Minnesota improves to 2-1 and next
plays Sunday at 2 p.m. against the Mystics in Washington. The Libs, who opened
the season with a four-point loss to the Sky in the Windy City, fall to 0-2. They
will entertain the Dallas Wings on Tuesday night. Tip-off will be at 7 p.m. at
the Westchester County Center.
—with staff reports
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