Seimone Augustus scored 13 points for the Lynx in their win over San Antonio on Sunday. But she needed 15 shots -- almost a fourth of the 66 her team took -- to reach that total.
The veteran guard was six of 15 from the field, one of four from three-point range. And, at clutch time, she missed the only two free throws she attempted. That especially iritated Augustus, who came into the game averaging 19 points.
"We have to be able to grind it out," she said, "and it kind of starts with our leaders -- myself, [Rebekkah] Brunsoln, Taj [McWilliams-Franklin] and [Lindsay] Whalen. And it starts with us, if we lose our composure, then the team falls apart. So we try to stay strong, communicate what needs to happen on the court and grind out tough possessions on both ends of the court."
After the Lynx took a 50-26 lead late in the second quarter, it looked like their game against the Silver Stars would be a cakewalk. It wasn't.
San Antonio closed to with two points before succombing 83-79.
"[Sunday] was obviously a night that I want to put behind me," Augustus said. "But it's great to have great players behind you because they pick you up and pick up whatever yoiu need. [Maya Moore] did that tonight, starting off and going on a scoring tear in the first half and continuing it in the second half. And along the way, Brunson came alon with her."
Moore scored 17 points, 15 by halftime. Brunson also had 17.
"It's just great to know I don't have to score 20 points for us to win the game," Augustus said.
That was the way it was most of Augustus' first five years. But not last year, not this year.
"I can struggle and I'll have teammates that will pull it out for me," she said.
The Lynx are now 7-0, the best start in franchise history, which also ties the third best start in WNBA history.
"We don't even focus on that," Augustus said. "That's the teams in the past, immaturity in the past Lynx teams. We'd focus on we won a few games and then we went on a 10-game losing streak. This team is more focused on one game at a time and doing what we need to do to better ourselves for the playoff road ahead."
That changed attitude began last season. The Lynx were 27-7 during the regular season and lost two games in a row only once. Then they went 7-1 in the playoffs.
Augustus said San Antonio impressed her. "They're a team that don't five up," she said. "They're a hard-working team. They understand they may be undermanned or under-sized, whatever people may see on a stat sheet as far as the personnel goes, but they are a hard-working team.
"They are going to make you do things that you aren't accustomed to doing. They are goiong to make you make other plays, and defensively they're going to make you think.
"When they have a player like Danielle Adams who can stretch the defense beyond the three-point line, it's tough for us to defend that."
Adams, a wide-bodied 6-1 forward, led the Silver Stars with 21 points, 18 in the second half. She made three of six three-pointers.
* Augustus had three rebounds and one assist besides her points. On the negative side were two turnovers.
