Augustus gives Lynx much needed "Shock"

BY MIKE PEDEN

Lynx forward Seimone Augustus took control on a night when her teammates had trouble finding the basket.

Augustus scored 27 points, including five of 10 from three-point range, as the Lynx snapped their four-game losing streak with a 78-67 win against the Tulsa Shock at Target Center Friday night. Guard Lindsay Whalen got a double-double the hard way with 10 points and 12 assists.

"We just settled in and took our time," Augustus said. "Whalen was the floor leader in the fourth quarter as well as (Candice) Wiggins. You can tell that the chemistry is coming."

Augustus was the only player to shoot better than .500 for the night as the Lynx made just 32% of their shots for the game. While shooting remains a weakness for the team, the Lynx won the game by doing almost everything else right.

Minnesota (3-9) hit 88% of their free throw shots while Tulsa (3-7) made just 52%. The Lynx committed eight fewer turnovers than the Shock and the Lynx dominated on the offensive side of the glass with 14 offensive rebounds to the Shock's four.

"Our defense was great tonight. We caused a lot of trouble down on that end of the court. As long as we keep that up, offense will come," Augustus said.

For the first three quarters, the Shock and the Lynx performed their best re-enactment of the defensive battle between the Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers in game seven of the NBA Finals Thursday night.

Like game seven in Los Angeles, the home team came through in the final period. Minnesota was down by one to start the fourth, but jumped on the Shock with a 10-2 run to take a 66-59 lead and keep it for good.

"We let a couple of important possessions get away from us," said Shock reserve Keisha Brown, who led the team with 14 points on a perfect six-of-six shooting. "We didn't shoot free throws well in the first half."

Friday night's win was significant for Lynx guard Wiggins. Although she made just two of 11 shots, she eclipsed the 1,000-point mark for her career, the third-fastest player to do so in a Lynx jersey. The fastest? Her teammate, Augustus.

"It's a great honor, but I'm just mad about all the other points I should have gotten," she said.

Energy will be a factor for the Lynx as they complete a home-and-home series with Tulsa Saturday night. While the Shock made "line changes" during the game, four Lynx starters played 32 minutes or more.

"You have Seimone who played 33 minutes. She didn't handle the ball as much, but she had five turnovers," Brown said. "We just keep the pressure on. We're not going to deviate from what we're doing as a team."

"It's more mental than physical. You have to push through it," Wiggins said.