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Takeaways: Moore and Augustus are clutch, Liberty make Westchester County debut

By Erica Ayala

WHITE PLAINS, NY - MAY 25: Maya Moore #23 of the Minnesota Lynx handles the ball against the New York Liberty on May 25, 2018 at Westchester County Center in White Plains, New York. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Steve Freeman/NBAE via Getty Images)
WHITE PLAINS, NY - MAY 25: Maya Moore #23 of the Minnesota Lynx handles the ball against the New York Liberty on May 25, 2018 at Westchester County Center in White Plains, New York. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Steve Freeman/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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WHITE PLAINS, NY – MAY 25: Maya Moore #23 of the Minnesota Lynx handles the ball against the New York Liberty on May 25, 2018 at Westchester County Center in White Plains, New York. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Steve Freeman/NBAE via Getty Images)
WHITE PLAINS, NY – MAY 25: Maya Moore #23 of the Minnesota Lynx handles the ball against the New York Liberty on May 25, 2018 at Westchester County Center in White Plains, New York. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Steve Freeman/NBAE via Getty Images) /

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The New York Liberty sold out the Westchester County Center in their 2018 home debut. 2,315 fans filled the building as the Minnesota Lynx rolled into town.  There were storylines aplenty going into yesterday’s contest.  Will the New York City suburbs embrace the Liberty and the WNBA?  Would Katie Smith get her first win as a head coach? Yes and no.

Powered by–dare we say the wings–of Maya Moore and the ice-cold composure of Seimone Augustus, the Lynx overcame the Liberty 78-72 to pick up their second win in three games. The Liberty dropped to 0-2. Here are some quick takeaways from Friday night:

Making the Adjustments

Both Katie Smith and Cheryl Reeve entered Friday hoping to see their team clean off the rust still evident early into the 2018 season. For Smith and the Liberty, offensive discipline was the main focus. At practice on Thursday, when asked what the Liberty needed to improve offensively, Smith replied, “good shots, taking good shots … getting open shots. And then, shooting it well and being confident in the shots that you get.”

Liberty forward Tina Charles agreed, “the positive coming out of Chicago was that we only shot 36% and lost by four. If we made a couple of shots, it could have been a different ball game” she shared with High Post Hoops reporter Arielle Chambers.  Against the Lynx, New York shot slightly higher from the field (37.5%). While the Liberty never fell behind more than six points, they never led by more than six either.

For the Lynx, Reeve was also focused on getting shots to fall. The Lynx shot clearly 50% in their home opener against Los Angeles on May 20, but only shot 37% in a 76-68 win over Dallas on May 23. “We’ve got to get the offense going, we’ve got to play cleaner,” said Reeve before tipoff in White Plains.

Minnesota shot 39% percent from the floor against the Liberty and 22% from the arc, both marginally better than New York.  The big difference came at the line, where the Lynx converted 20 of 25 shots. The Liberty shot 13 of 18 from the stripe.

The Maya & Seimone Show hits the road

To say Maya Moore and Seimone Augustus christened the newest WNBA arena may rub some the wrong way, but it is also accurate.  Moore went off for 20 points, including a dagger three-pointer to give the Lynx a three-point lead with 19.5 seconds left in the game. Moore started off hot, dropping 10 of her 20 points in the first quarter. However, she would only contribute another two points at the half. Reeve made the hard decision to rest Moore down the stretch, but it paid off.

“I probably sat for longer than what I ordinarily would … I had to resist very, very strongly to not put her back in because you know it’s Maya Moore, and then we waited for exactly the right time.”

WHITE PLAINS, NY – MAY 25: Seimone Augustus #33 of the Minnesota Lynx shoots the ball against the New York Liberty on May 25, 2018 at Westchester County Center in White Plains, New York. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Steve Freeman/NBAE via Getty Images)
WHITE PLAINS, NY – MAY 25: Seimone Augustus #33 of the Minnesota Lynx shoots the ball against the New York Liberty on May 25, 2018 at Westchester County Center in White Plains, New York. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Steve Freeman/NBAE via Getty Images) /

The decision to rest Moore was likely made easier by Seimone Augustus stepping up late in the game. She scored a steady 10 points in the first half, keeping pace with Moore and Tina Charles, who led their respective teams with 12 points after 20 minutes. Augustus dropped nine points in the fourth quarter after a silent third frame, including a three-pointer to bring the Lynx within one point with 1:14 left in the game.

New York Calling on Nurse

With Sugar Rodgers, Brittney Boyd, and Epiphany Prince out of the lineup, I fully expected Nurse to get the start with Hartley in the frontcourt. However, come tipoff, Shavonte Zellous cracked the starting five. Hamilton, Ontario native led all players (Lynx included) with over 34 minutes played. She also led all bench players with 14 points, just two buckets shy of Charles’ team-leading 18 points.

WHITE PLAINS, NY – MAY 25: Kia Nurse #5 of the New York Liberty handles the ball against the Minnesota Lynx on May 25, 2018 at Westchester County Center in White Plains, New York. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Steve Freeman/NBAE via Getty Images)
WHITE PLAINS, NY – MAY 25: Kia Nurse #5 of the New York Liberty handles the ball against the Minnesota Lynx on May 25, 2018 at Westchester County Center in White Plains, New York. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Steve Freeman/NBAE via Getty Images) /

Additionally, Nurse was noticeably disruptive on the defensive end, often creating enough agitate to alter a shot or instigate a Lynx turnover.

Perhaps if Nurse continues to put in 30-plus minutes a game, it won’t really matter if she starts or comes off the bench. At the end of the day, this franchise has trouble finishing games and the ball was in Nurse’s hands with the game on the line. The former UConn star missed a field goal with 15.5 seconds left that could have tied the game at 74 points a side.

When Nurse proves she can bury those shots and create them for her teammates, there won’t be much argument about who will run the point for the Liberty.

Regardless, she is ready to play whatever role her team requires, “I see myself doing whatever role the team needs me to do … so, if my role is to come off the bench and play some defense than I am all for it.”

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