Lynx lose third straight nailbiter

BY MIKE PEDEN

Saturday's night's game between the Phoenix Mercury and Minnesota Lynx will prove memorable for fans who attended the contest at Target Center.

The 127-124 win by Phoenix (10-12) in double overtime was the highest scoring game in WNBA history and the second straight game Phoenix broke the record for most points in a game by one team.

"These overtime games are killing me!" said Mercury forward Candace Dupree. Phoenix was on the losing end of a 111-107 triple overtime game against Seattle earlier in the season.

Unfortunately for Lynx fans, they will likely remember Saturday's game as the third straight game Minnesota (7-14) let slip away after they were up by as much as 17.

"That's the second gut punch we've had. This is a tough one to deal with," said Lynx forward Seimone Augustus.

Statisticians were busy all night. 11 players finished the game in double figures for scoring (six for Minnesota, five for Phoenix). Augustus led all players in points with 36, three shy of her career best. Three players finished with double-doubles: Dupree with 32 points and 16 rebounds for Phoenix, Rebekkah Brunson with 19 points and 17 rebounds for Minnesota, and Lindsay Whalen with 13 points and 10 assists for Minnesota. Four players fouled out of the game due to the extra periods (Penny Taylor and Tangela Smith for Phoenix, Nicky Anosike and Whalen for Minnesota).

However, the stat many believe decided the game was free throws. Phoenix was 29 of 33 from the charity stripe, while the Lynx made only 30 of 43 attempts.

"We pride ourselves on making free throws. When you can capitalize on them, it helps you," said Mercury guard Diana Taurasi, who scored 31 points and sank all 14 of her free throw tries. "In these games where it's two good teams, something simple as that can change the outcome."

Taurasi herself tilted the game in Phoenix's favor. Only scoring 11 points after three quarters, she scored 20 in the fourth quarter and overtimes, catapulted by her aggressive drives that netted her 11 points from the free throw line. While Taurasi struggled from the floor, she nailed her first and only three-pointer in the game late in the fourth that eventually put Phoenix on top.

"I was getting good looks early and they weren't going down. I just tried to stay with it," she said.

Conversely, Augustus had 29 through three periods and appeared well on her way to setting a new career high, but was held to 1 point in the fourth and six in the overtimes.

The game's key moment came late in the second overtime. After Augustus sank two free throws to give the Lynx a 124-123 lead, Dupree scored a lay-up 13 seconds later to put Phoenix on top. The Lynx had one last chance with 7.8 seconds left, but Chardé Houston's mid-range runner was blocked by DeWanna Bonner, leading to a shot clock violation and ending any chance at escaping with a win.

"It was huge. It was something that we needed. It was a great defensive play," Dupree said.

While the Lynx have now dropped their third straight close game out of four in the six-game homestand, the team remains optimistic and philosophical about overcoming these challenges with the last third of the season underway.

"We feel like our time is coming," Whalen said. "It's going to hurt tonight, but by tomorrow, you have to focus on the next game."

"I'd just say 'watch out' to the other teams when we do figure this out," Augustus said.