Lynx Bombard Sparks 83-58
Saturday, June 15, 2007

Seimone Augustus’ five-foot jump shot with four minutes and 13 seconds remaining in the second quarter of the June 15 WNBA contest between Minnesota and Los Angeles pushed her past the 1,000-point milestone. Augustus became the second-fastest player in league history to reach the 1,000-point mark, one game shy of Cynthia Cooper, who reached that milestone in her first 45 games. (It took Augustus 46 games.)

The remarkable second-year Lynx player also is the 101st player in WNBA history to score 1,000 points and the fourth-youngest player to do so. Word had gotten out last year that Augustus was the only reason for basketball fans to pay money to view the hapless Lynx, and, indeed, her strong performance in 2006 and during the first 11 games of 2007 labeled Minnesota as a one-woman gang. That impression might have changed last Saturday as the Lynx displayed some noteworthy team play almost immediately after Augustus scored her 1,000 point and went on to pound the Los Angeles Sparks by the score of 83 to 58. It was Minnesota’s third win in a dozen games.

The Lynx wowed the crowd (announced at 5,801) with a strong defensive effort while sharing the ball, executing pick-and-rolls, and hitting open shots on the offensive end. Leading the third-quarter assault, which resulted in a 63-48 Lynx lead, were Kristen Mann and Nicole Ohlde, each with nine points in the period. As for Augustus, she failed to score at all in the period. She simply wasn’t needed.

In all fairness it must be pointed out that the Los Angeles Sparks have proved to be vulnerable in the past. On May 31 of last year, Minnesota set a WNBA scoring record in blasting the Sparks 114-71 at Target Center. And that version of the Sparks featured WNBA stalwarts Lisa Leslie and Chamique Holdsclaw. Neither played last Saturday night. Leslie recently gave birth, and Holdsclaw walked away from the Sparks. An All-American at Tennessee, Holdsclaw averaged 17.8 points per game in a WNBA career that began in 1999 with Washington. Not yet 30 years of age, she is known to have suffered bouts of depression in the past.

Holdsclaw’s name came up when it was noted that she was one of three WNBA players to reach the 1,000-point mark at a younger age than Augustus. (The other two are Lauren Jackson and Penny Taylor.) The official announcement from the Sparks indicated that “veteran forward Chamique Holdsclaw has elected to retire from the WNBA.” Holdsclaw was a six-time league all-star selection.

The absence of Leslie and Holdsclaw was noticeable early on against the Lynx. The Sparks seemed to keep looking for a “go to” player who simply wasn’t there. Although LaToya Thomas showed flashes of brilliance, the rest of the squad lacked cohesion as coach Michael Cooper substituted liberally. Meanwhile, Mann was lighting it up for the Lynx from beyond the three-point line. She finished with 16 points including four threes.

All five starters for the Lynx would up with double figures, including Lindsey Harding who, after a dozen games, seems to be adjusting to the pro style of play and shows confidence in running the show from the point guard position.

The fourth quarter saw Minnesota outscore Los Angeles by 20 to 10.