Minnesota punishes Dallas behind ‘unmatched’ willpower

By Jennifer Halvorson

St, Paul, MN — An aura of intensity set forth the second each Lynx player stepped onto the court Wednesday afternoon to take on the Dallas Wings.

There was no denying that Minnesota star’s Maya Moore and Sylvia Fowles, displayed dominance, noticeably rattling the Wings’ squad in the first half. The Lynx were rarely challenged to a lead change, as Dallas was barely holding on when the deficit grew to 20 points late in the second quarter.

“They’re a team that likes to attack, go downhill, and we wanted to bring that same energy,” said Moore.

Moore and Fowles contributed 28 of the team’s 50 total points by halftime.

Minnesota refused to slow down the pace, coming out after the half, knocking down long range baskets and creating three point plays. The Wings’ had to change their game, so they began to drive and draw the shooting fouls, putting themselves on the line.

While the Lynx had been struggling to consistently make their free throws, Dallas shot 83.3 percent and slowly started to chip into Minnesota’s lead.

“It’s one of those things when you’re on top and you’re the one being chased, you have to continue to have that self-motivation to hold yourself accountable,” said Moore.

“It’s human nature to get comfortable and want to coast at different times, and that’s when you have good leadership like our coaching staff [and] us as captains, [we] have to come in and continue to set the bar high,” Moore finished.

Dallas tried to take advantage of Fowles’ foul trouble late in the third quarter, but Plenette Pierson entered the game and immediately went on a 6-0 run, proving the feared truth to opponents on the Lynx bench depth skills.

Minnesota continued to capitalize on their lead, playing as if missing a three-pointer was a rarity, and tonight, it was: six players on the Lynx squad had points from beyond the arc. As a team, Minnesota shot 50% from deep.

“They’re the most experienced team in the league, they know each other very well, and they just had it going on tonight,” said Wings’ guard Skylar Diggins-Smith after the game.

With Moore and Fowles playing to some of their truest potential, it’s hard to see any opponent standing a chance. Today was one of those cases as Minnesota would continue their best start in franchise history after defeating Dallas 100-74.

“They are so competitive, their drive to win, their will to win, is unmatched, and collectively, when we have that, we’re a hard team to beat” said Lynx Head Coach Cheryl Reeve.