Lynx Notes

• Lindsay Whalen led the way tonight for the Lynx as she finished with a season-high 22 points on 6-of-11 shooting, including going a perfect 7-of-7 from the free throw line and a perfect 3-of-3 from deep, six rebounds and five assists. Tonight marked Whalen’s first 20+ point performance since dropping 24 vs. Seattle on August 28, 2016. The seven made free throws are the most she’s hit at the line since going 8-of-8 on July 2, 2016 vs. San Antonio. Whalen finished one off her career-high for made three-pointers when she finished with four on July 26, 2005 against Indiana.
• Although not finishing with the double-double, Sylvia Fowles pulled down a game-high 17 rebounds, her third straight game with 10+ boards. Tonight was the second time this season Fowles had 17 rebounds (June 26 vs. Seattle) and marked the second-highest rebound total of the season (20 vs. Dallas on May 23).
• Seimone Augustus added 14 points on an efficient 6-of-10 shooting and three assists. The Lynx moved to 8-4 when Augustus scores in double-figures and 7-3 when she shoots 50% or better from the field.
• Temi Fagbenle matched her career-high with 10 points on 4-of-6 shooting from the field and grabbed a career-high six rebounds. Fagbenle has now scored in double-digits in consecutive games for the first time in her career.
• In her first game back after sitting out Wednesday’s game with an ankle injury, Cecilia Zandalasini returned for Minnesota, finishing with eight points on 4-of-9 shooting.
• The loss is the first for the Lynx against the Aces franchise since a 92-76 defeat at San Antonio on August 15, 2014 (11-game overall winning streak) and the first home loss since falling 74-72 to San Antonio on July 22, 2010 at Target Center (15-game home winning streak).
• Minnesota continues its season-long three-game homestand on Sunday against the Connecticut Sun. Tip is set for 6:00 p.m. CT. The game can be heard on BOB 106 FM and can be seen on Fox Sports North and NBATV.

Aces Notes

• Carolyn Swords notched her first career double-double tonight, finishing with 11 points on a perfect 5-of-5 shooting and 11 rebounds in 28:25 of action off the bench.
• Rookie A’ja Wilson finished with 11 points and a team-high 15 rebounds, continuing her consecutive streak of 22 games to start her career with double-digit scoring.
• Tonight marked the Aces’ fourth win in the row, the first four-game winning streak for the franchise since 2012.

Lynx Head Coach Cheryl Reeve

On how the Aces took Sylvia Fowles out of the action…

“It’s nothing that we haven’t seen from other teams. They were pretty persistent and it’s that game that we had in terms of our impatience. We didn’t have balance, we didn’t wait for screens, didn’t set screens, and didn’t have aggression from our perimeter players. Syl had to, you know games like that, it’s not about her catching it where she wants to catch it, it’s about playing around her and continuing to move, come back to her after the defense shifted and go get an offensive rebound. Vegas was good, for sure, they were really good on offense. Their complete identity they got to play to tonight, their complete identity, on both sides of it. Their complete identity they got to play exactly to it and that’s disappointing.”

On the ups and downs of this season…

“I think we all, anybody that has been a part of this team this year, has seen this before. So, I know exactly what we have. It doesn’t feel very good when you’re seeing it happen. We’re finding ways to try and fight through it and stay in it and not hang our heads and that’s the thing. I don’t think we’re mentally tough enough in games like these. We start to feel sorry for ourselves and we’re not a very good team when that starts to happen. I give Vegas credit though.”

Lynx Guard Lindsay Whalen

On tonight’s game…

“Well obviously we want to get the win and unfortunately tonight it was, defensively from the beginning we needed to be more locked in. I give them credit, they played a really good game and they came in here and got the win. Unfortunately for us, it doesn’t feel very good right now.”

On the team’s mental toughness…

“Yeah, I mean I think we’ve had that, I think she’s said in here that it’s kind of come and gone this season. We have to just toughen up and understand it’s a long season and come back here and get ready for the game on Sunday.”

Lynx Forward Maya Moore

On how to find a rhythm going forward…

“I don’t think it’s complicated, we just have to pay attention and focus and play with conviction. We’re going to continue to come together and stay with it and whatever we’re going to do we’re going to do it together. It’s worked for us in the past and whatever we do we have to make sure we do it as connected as possible. I think that will be contagious and build momentum.”

Aces Head Coach Bill Laimbeer

On Lynx keeping A’ja Wilson off her game …

“Part of it is, A’ja Wilson herself, she gets a little bit rattled. When she gets a little bit off her square, she starts to force things, when she starts to think. When she thinks she’s not as effective. I mean she didn’t shoot well but she had fifteen rebounds, five assists and four blocked shots. She was a force out there.”

On the team’s focus for Sylvia Fowles and Maya Moore…

“Fowles was a focus point of our game plan today, to try to run players at her and take her out of her comfort zone. I think Moore just missed some shots. We had some size on her too and we had active athletics that were guarding her, so we had to make her shoot over the top of us. She didn’t shoot in her percentage today, that’s all.”

Aces Forward A’ja Wilson

On missing shots…

“I give it to my teammates, tonight was not the night for me. Things were just so close, but yet so far away. But coach was staying in my ear and my teammates just kept pushing me. When you have great teammates like I do and they rally around me and everyone that’s not really in it, it helps you and it feels good inside. I knew I had to help the game in a way that might not be in scoring and that is tough for a person that really can score and can get to the basket and operate in that way. I said you know I’m going to go out and get every rebound and assist to go and get my teammates open. I tried to find different ways to still produce for my team not necessary in the score category. It makes me feel good and I would rather do that than score the basketball and just get in my mind when I’m not making it.”

On playing against Sylvia Fowles…

“I haven’t gotten the opportunity to guard her, so it is a tough question for me to answer I’m not really there with her head-to-head, but just seeing from the outside she’s a great player, of course. If you get her in the paint, it’s a scary sight for you, it’s pretty much lights out. She really knows how to stay within her body, stay within herself, control her body control, I think that’s the biggest thing. She’s great at what she does, hopefully sooner or later I can get in that situation with her. She’s a strong athletic post that can do pretty much anything.”

Aces Guard Kayla McBride

On picking up the slack for A’ja Wilson…

“It came from everywhere. I thought Tamera Young hit some huge shots, Carolyn Swords had 11 and 11. (Kelsey) Plum hit some big threes. Moriah Jefferson had a 5-0 spurt. It came from everybody, and to beat a good team like Minnesota you have to have some come from everybody. It is not just going to be one or two players that can beat them. I thought it was a great win on the road.”

On getting the win vs. Minnesota…

“You can’t say enough about Minnesota and what they have done for this league. There is no arena that is packed like that and they have built that from the ground up. So, nothing but respect for Minnesota. Coming in here and playing in a hostile environment like that against a great team, they have won four championships in the last seven years. So, it is great win for us, that’s a great team.”