A seven-day break between games was supposed to help. As was the return of All-Star forward Napheesa Collier the lineup.
Turns out neither did too much. The Lynx remain the WNBA's lone winless team.
The second-place Seattle Storm routed the Lynx 82-72 on Friday night at Angel of the Winds Arena, keeping two bad streaks for the visitors alive. Minnesota has lost 11 in a row to the defending WNBA champs, including back-to-back games. That's also four straight losses to open this season for the Lynx. Minnesota outscored the Storm 22-5 in the fourth quarter to make the final score deceptively close.
"This is one of the more disappointing nights in my tenure," a visibly distraught Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve said on a postgame Zoom appearance. "We have a lot of work to do."
Seattle shot 48.6% from the field — even after missing their final 12 attempts — and Reeve said the Storm might have scored 70 points in the paint if some of team's stars had not come out early.
Sylvia Fowles had 15 points and Collier 14 for the Lynx. Breanna Stewart had 15 points and a game-high eight rebounds for the Storm (5-1).
The Lynx collapsed in the second quarter, getting outscored 31-13, and trailed 58-36 at the half and 77-50 after three.
"I don't know if we were tired or confused in the game," Collier said, "but we have to figure it out fast.
"It is frustrating because we know we can be a good team."
The Lynx are not there yet.
The reporter did not travel for this game. This article was written using the television broadcast and video interviews before and/or after the game.
