Takeaways and notes: Short-handed Liberty fall to hungry Lynx
By Ben Rosof
MINNEAPOLIS – The New York Liberty battled in the fourth quarter to remain competitive at the Target Center against the Minnesota Lynx, but ultimately fell to 3-7, losing 92-83. In a game that saw the Liberty lead at the end of the first two quarters, each by one point, the Lynx won the third period 28-14 and never relinquished the lead in the fourth.
For Minnesota, this was a much-needed win against a young New York team. They had dropped three straight on their home court and four straight overall, a position of unfamiliarity for a franchise that’s been accustomed to consistent excellence. They improve to 5-5 this year.
For the Liberty, this was a taste of what life on the court will be like without several key players for the next few weeks, due to injuries and multiple departures for Eurobasket. They admirably competed with a talented Lynx squad on the road for a large portion of the game, but they were unable to make the necessary plays down the stretch to get over the hump.
Various takeaways could be extracted from the game.
The Lynx finally close out a (relatively) close game
In Sunday’s game against the Las Vegas, Minnesota led by eight with 4:48 remaining. The Aces proceeded on a 16-3 run, catapulting themselves to a win and shocking the Lynx’ home crowd. Cheryl Reeve made closing out tight contests a priority in practice this week.
“You have to understand the desperation… Some of it is just listening out of a timeout, executing what you’re supposed to do in a play,” she told the Lynx official website, “Does it take time? I hope not.”
Well it didn’t take much time; in the first game since Reeve’s words, Minnesota withstood several late pushes by the Liberty to carry themselves to a victory. A 13-point lead with 7:03 remaining in the contest was cut to five after New York’s Reshanda Gray beat the shot-clock buzzer with the first three-pointer of her career. That’s as small as the lead would get, as the Lynx buried free throws down the stretch. While the third quarter was what ultimately propelled the home team to a well-earned win on Saturday, they did just enough in the fourth as well.
Napheesa Collier rebounds… in a big way
The UConn product and sixth overall pick in this year’s WNBA draft is experiencing a tremendous rookie year in the league. She’s started all ten games for Minnesota and is averaging approximately 12 points and five rebounds per game.
However, her worst output of the year thus far came in White Plains, New York on June 12, when she scored two points on 1-7 from the floor and the Lynx fell to the Liberty 75-69. Tonight, she had revenge on her mind as she turned in 19 points on 7-10 shooting, including 3-3 from behind the arc. She buried a critical three late in the fourth quarter to match the aforementioned Reshanda Gray heave, and to extend the lead to eight.
Collier has pieced together an impressive campaign thus far, now leading all first-year players in scoring and ranking third in rebounding. Now, onto her former UConn teammate…
Kia Nurse has demonstrated impressive consistency in her sophomore season
Nurse, who impressed in her rookie year throughout a disappointing year for the Liberty, has taken a considerable step forward in her sophomore season. While she started just seven games last year, she’s been awarded that role in every game thus far this year. She scored 24 in Minnesota, and ranks eighth in the WNBA in scoring at 16.1 points per game.
After her third game scoring over 20 points, she’s now reached double figures in all but one outing, an eight-point performance against Los Angeles. While Nurse’s efficiency doesn’t stand out as a major area of strength over her young career (approximately 40% FG), she managed to accumulate her points on Saturday on 47% shooting and from a variety of areas on the court.
With all of their absent players, New York will continue to rely on Nurse to post big numbers to pair with Asia Durr on the perimeter and to ease Tina Charles’ responsibilities. Nurse played all 40 minutes against Minnesota, representative of her being tied for third-most minutes played per game in the WNBA, averaging over 32.
“Her offense, her defense, she’s able to function even when she’s a bit tired…” Head Coach Katie Smith said about Nurse last week. She will certainly be running on fumes for the upcoming stretch of games, although the have a few days off before next playing.
Tanisha Wright continues to shine on both ends of the floor
When the Liberty traded for Tanisha Wright during the offseason, questions emerged surrounding the decision to let go of sharpshooter and fan favorite Sugar Rodgers. However, coach Katie Smith has elected to use Wright healthily after a two-game stretch in which the 13-year veteran was DNP-CD’d – she’s averaged over 17 minutes per game over the last six.
She turned in a solid showing on both ends of the court on Saturday, filling the stat sheet with nine points, four assists and three steals. She also played major minutes in the fourth quarter New York attempted to stage a late rally on Minnesota’s home court. This is Tanisha’s second stint with the Liberty, after having a starting role in her first one (starting 62 out of 63 games played).
“[Tanisha] was the MVP of our team in the 2015 season,” Tina Charles told High Post Hoops after a win against the Aces, “Just because of her professionalism, the basketball IQ that she has, the experience that she has, knowing what to say in all of the huddles, knowing when to slow up the game, knowing how to control the pace.”
Wright was on the floor during an instance of defensive creativity by Katie Smith, who elected to employ a rare zone defense in the third quarter when the Lynx were extending their lead. The Liberty have now allowed 91 or more points in their last four games. The Liberty hardly ever elect to deviate from straight-up defense, but perhaps this is a strategy Smith hopes will provide a solution to that striking number.
Final takeaways
Overall, this was an impressively played game by both teams given each of their respective circumstances (New York’s roster situation, Minnesota’s recent struggles). The Lynx should feel good about securing a game they likely needed to win – the Liberty should be encouraged by the big-time performances of Nurse and Tina Charles, who had 22 points and 9 rebounds to break out of a four-game “slump.”
The Liberty don’t play again until Friday, and it’s at home against Dallas, who lost handily on Saturday in Las Vegas. The Lynx have a road game against the Fever on Tuesday night.
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