WNBA: Minnesota Lynx at Connecticut Sun – Observations

“We did enough to win the game. We just didn’t…” Lynx Coach Cheryl Reeve. There are times when it is as simple as that. Statistically, the Minnesota Lynx outplayed the Connecticut Sun in all but two crucial categories: free throws and points in the paint. The Lynx went 12-20 from the stripe. The Sun outscored the Lynx 46-36 in the paint.

Both teams struggled from three, with the Lynx shooting 4-21 and the Sun 5-11. The Lynx outscored the Sun off of turnovers, with the Lynx scoring 24 points off of 18 Sun turnovers and the Sun scoring 19 points off of 17 Lynx turnovers.

Minnesota Lynx and Its Bench Against The Sun

The Lynx starters outscored the Connecticut starters. However, the Lynx bench fell short, which contributed to the struggle. Not that the Sun’s bench did much better, but the lack of bench production puts a greater burden on the starters.

Napheesa Collier played 44 minutes, with Kayla McBride and Courtney Williams each playing 40 minutes for the Lynx. DeWanna Bonner played 36 minutes, Alyssa Thomas 44, Tyasha Harris 38, Brionna Jones 27, and DiJonai Carrington 24 for the Sun. Alanna Smith fouled out with 2:43 left in the fourth quarter, which took an important piece out of the starting lineup.

How crucial it was is hard to say. Probably not as much as the missed free throws. And of course, there were questionable fouls on both sides, but that is the name of the game, human error. Personally, I wouldn’t want to see some sort of electronic referee similar to the VAR used in the English Premier League. It may work for soccer, but not basketball. 

As much as I dislike stooping to cliché, it’s the little things that matter. In this game, that was precisely the case. At halftime, the Sun had come back from being down nine points to lead by two. Each team had their runs as expected, and each team fought back. Up until the end of overtime, there was no clear-cut winner, until Bonner hit two free throws and McBride missed a jumper.