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Indianapolis Star
July 16, 2011
Lynx ends Fever's 7-game winning streak
WNBA's top 3-point team hits only 28 percent in loss to
Minnesota and rookie Moore
By Ben Jones
Somewhere between one of her three missed layups in the first
quarter, Tamika Catchings knew the Indiana Fever could be in
trouble.
The All-Star forward's rough start was just the beginning of a long
shooting night for the Fever. One game after setting a franchise
record for 3-point shooting, Indiana (10-4) went just 7-of-25 from
long range in an 80-70 loss to the Minnesota Lynx (8-4) at
Conseco Fieldhouse on Friday night.
"When we start with missed layups, it kind of goes all the way
down through the team," said Catchings, who finished with a
game-high 22 points.
The loss snapped a seven-game winning streak for the Fever and a
six-game home winning streak. Indiana shot 39.3 percent from the
field and was outrebounded 38-26.
Despite their slow start, the Fever fought their way to a 41-41 tie at
halftime after trailing early. But Minnesota pulled away thanks to
an 11-3 run to end the third quarter, and Indiana could not close the
gap again.
"I thought we missed some wide-open shots, and against a team
like them that's so good defensively, you have to knock those
down," Fever coach Lin Dunn said.
Guard Katie Douglas struggled for the Fever a day after being
named to the East team for the All-Star Game. She entered the
game shooting 49.2 percent from 3-point range and led the WNBA
in made 3-pointers, but she finished with 10 points while shooting
1-of-5 from long range. She also turned the ball over a team-high
four times.
Rookie Maya Moore finished with 18 points on 8-of-15 shooting
for the Lynx. She had a hand in everything for Minnesota,
finishing with seven rebounds and three assists while knocking
down big shots whenever Indiana threatened.
"She's just one of those players," Catchings said. "She's only going
to get better. She'll definitely be one of the stars of the league."
Rebekkah Brunson led Minnesota's scoring with 20 points and
grabbed eight rebounds. Lindsay Whalen added 16 points and
seven assists.
Minnesota's smothering defense, which Dunn said was the best the
team has seen all year, forced Indiana into 18 turnovers. Even
when it didn't force turnovers, though, it still pressed the Fever into
tough shots and situations with the shot clock winding down.
"Mentally, physically, whatever, I just wasn't able to knock things
down," Douglas said. "Catch and I, we're going to have those
nights, but we have to have other players step up. I feel like we did
at times, but we were always on our heels."
Jessica Davenport provided 13 points and five rebounds, and Erin
Phillips scored 11 points for the Fever.
Even with the loss, Indiana left the game with the best record in the
WNBA. With the midway point of the season drawing near, Dunn
said the Fever will have to let go of the winning streak and start
over again Sunday against Connecticut.
"Sometimes you have to lose in order to get better, and that's where
I feel we're at," Catchings said.
Etc.
Former North Central High School standout Amber Harris saw
limited action for Minnesota. The rookie forward failed to score
and finished with one assist in six minutes. . . . Notre Dame star
Skylar Diggins was in attendance. Diggins, a junior guard,
averaged 15 points per game last season and led the Irish with 186
assists.