Game 1 of the semifinal series between the Minnesota Lynx and Connecticut Sun was just as physical and low-scoring as everyone expected. The Sun thrive in those situations, and were able to hold on down the stretch for a 73-70 win and a 1-0 series lead.
“I’m proud of our team,” Sun coach Stephanie White said. “This was a tough, grind-it-out victory. We knew it was gonna be, that’s how the whole series is gonna be with two great defensive teams. I felt like every single player made winning plays, particularly down the stretch … It was a terrific effort on the part of our group. I’m so proud of them.”
The old cliché “it’s a game of runs” was never more true than the first half of this one.
Near the end of the first quarter, Dijonai Carrington led the Sun on a 9-0 burst that silenced the crowd inside Target Center. It wouldn’t take long for the Lynx faithful to wake up, however, as the home team ripped off a 15-0 surge in the middle of the second quarter that featured five different scorers. They Sun would not let them run away, though, and answered with a 13-3 response to close the half.
After the break, it was the complete opposite. Neither team could sustain any sort of offense, and the…
