4th Quarter D Lets Lynx Down Again

The Minnesota Lynx faded down the stretch again last night in Seattle, losing the 4th quarter 24-16 and the game 79-76. The Lynx led 60-55 after 3, and 62-55 after Monica Wright opened the 4th with a J off an assist by Lindsay Whalen. Minnesota still led 64-58 at the 7:17 mark, when....

Coach Cheryl Reeves has talked a lot about building the Lynx around a strong defense. Well, everybody knows that Seimone Augustus, Rebakah Brunson and Candice Wiggins are not playing yet, and it couldn't be more obvious that the 3 of them will improve the Lynx substantially, though on offense more than on the D, don't you think?

So, anyway, the point is that Seattle scored on 9 of its final 10 possessions to pull out the win. The Lynx weren't bad on offense, making 7-of-14 shots in the 4th though their turnovers outnumbered their offensive boards, 3-1. But the D was non-existent down the stretch, just as it was against Washington the other night. The Storm hit 3-of-4 from 2-point land, 3-of-5 from beyond the arc, and 4-for-4 from the line.

Ouch.