Lynx leading pair leads another dramatic win

BY MIKE PEDEN

Minnesota Lynx fans may want to submit this week's games for an Emmy award.

For the third straight time, the Lynx found themselves in a nail-biter situation and for the second straight time, overtime was needed to settle the outcome.

It was perfect timing for Minnesota's largest come-from-behind win of the season, defeating the Chicago Sky at Allstate Arena 87-82 in overtime Saturday. Minnesota's victory virtually eliminated Chicago from playoff contention in the Eastern Conference.

"We wanted to make it exciting so we can make it back on ESPN!" joked Lynx forward Seimone Augustus. ESPN 2 provided a national telecast, marking the second time Minnesota was featured on the network in 2010.

Augustus scored a game-high 27 points, making 12 of her 24 field goal tries. Guard Lindsay Whalen added 19 points, seven assists and seven rebounds.

The Lynx (10-16) trailed 49-33 at halftime because of good ball control from the Sky (12-17), who committed only three turnovers in the first half, and the Sky's red-hot three-point shooting. Chicago drained seven of 10 treys by halftime.

"I go in and I state the obvious," said Lynx head coach Cheryl Reeve. "The bottom line is we got great leaders in the locker room. They understand there's always hope."

Hope certainly floated in the second half. Minnesota quickly chipped at Chicago's lead and took advantage of a fourth quarter where Chicago made just one of 13 field goals. Both teams had several chances to close the game in regulation, but neither team could budge their score from 73 in the final two minutes and forced overtime.

"People were just struggling with their shot," Whalen said.

A similar scenario came with the score tied at 80 with 39 seconds left. On the following Lynx play, Augustus nailed a 22-foot three-pointer that forced Chicago to play foul-and-chase. Whalen took care of that game by making Minnesota's final four free throws.

"Whalen did a great job of coming off the step-up screen. (I was) wide open, and I took the shot," Augustus said.

The Lynx got that opportunity as Chicago made only three of 14 three-pointers after halftime and committed 13 turnovers leading to 18 Lynx points.

The late Lynx surge also removed the aura of a solid performance from Sky center Sylvia Fowles, who finished with 14 points, 11 rebounds and tied a career high in blocks with five.

"We shot ourselves in the foot by giving them easy lay-ups," said Chicago head coach Steven Key. "We come out flat in the third quarter because (the Sky) thinks they've done enough to win a game. 20 minutes is nothing."

While the three-game winning streak may be karma for a team that gave up three close games during their six-game homestand in July, energy could be a concern with a quick turnaround that has Minnesota returning to Target Center Sunday to face the New York Liberty.

"We definitely don't want to go into overtime with New York. We won't have any legs," Augustus said.

What they do have is strong team chemistry and a sense of fight that was not seen in the first half of the season.

"We had some up-and-downs. Midway through the season, we really had to group together," Whalen said. "Everyone is just there for each other."