Lynx win with late-game "Shock"

BY MIKE PEDEN

The Minnesota Lynx were 1:38 away from dropping another close game at Target Center Wednesday night and the chance at a playoff spot with it.

Trailing 69-64 to the Detroit Shock, the Lynx made one final push, closing the game with an 11-3 run for a 75-72 win.

Winning the home finale brought the Lynx (14-18) to a tie with San Antonio for the last playoff spot in the Western Conference. With San Antonio holding the tiebreaker, the Lynx will need some luck as they head west to play Los Angeles and Sacramento to wrap up the season.

"We had to get this game to get our momentum going," said Lynx head coach Jennifer Gillom. "I think it will carry on over to the next game."

"Every game is a must-win," said Lynx rookie Rashanda McCants.

Gillom credited the bench for keeping her team in contention.

"People critiqued me earlier about switching players a lot and using our bench too much," she said. "In the end, they step up for you and they're used to it."

All three leading scorers for the Lynx came off the bench. McCants, Renee Montgomery and Anna Montañana each scored 12 points.

In fact, Montañana nearly matched her season point total of 13 prior to the game. She went four of eight from the floor, including two three-pointers.

"I haven't played the way I play overseas," she said. "The team has been great trying to put me in the game."

Despite getting outrebounded 43 to 27, the Lynx stayed in front for most of the game by winning the turnover battle 18 to 11. The Lynx also outshot Detroit (16-16) from the free throw line, going 20 for 27 while the Shock made only 10 of 18.

Detroit got their chance in the fourth quarter when the Lynx went on a 5:25 scoring drought, making a 13-0 run and taking the lead on a Cheryl Ford free throw.

Montgomery started the Lynx's final drive with a three-pointer and Montañana got the Lynx the lead back for good with a fade away jumper.

"I thought we were going to win this game, and clearly my teammates did also," Montgomery said.

"We know they're a (three-point) shooting team," said Ford, who scored a game-high 16 points. "We didn't get back to find a three-point shooter and they hit a three that hurt us. Then it went down from there."

Shock forward Deanna Nolan could not reprise her hero role from their meeting at Detroit last season. Nolan made three free throws to help Detroit win 98-93 in overtime in June of last year, but with 6.5 seconds left in this contest, Nolan made only one of three after getting fouled behind the arc.

The Lynx ensured Nolan would pose little threat, holding her to nine points on three of 19 from the floor.

"I was open, my teammates were getting me open, I just wasn't knocking down the shots," Nolan said.

The Shock still hold third place in the Eastern Conference playoff race, but sit just one game ahead of a three-way tie with fourth-place Chicago, Washington and Connecticut with only two games to go.

"(We have to) just play harder," Nolan said. "Tonight, we beat ourselves."

While the Lynx intend to not worry about San Antonio, they do have another goal beyond making the playoffs as they head west one last time.

"We have to be more aware of boxing out," McCants said. "That's what won the game for us. We started rebounding and getting possessions."