The Lynx, shorthanded by injury, had won all their games heading into Friday's game with San Antonio. But four of them had been tight, one had gone into overtime. You had the feeling the Lynx were due to explode here before long.
It happened in the third quarter tonight when the Lynx, down three at halftime, put a 33-10 third quarter on the visiting Stars, turning a tight game into a blowout. There are several good things to take away from this game, including:
--The continued strong play by rookie Damiris Dantas. Dantas took a very nasty elbow from Kayla Alexander in the second quarter. Dantas was hurt. She was woozy. She left the game with 6-plus minutes left in the first half and didn't play again until the third quarter.
But boy did she play. Dantas returned to score eight of her career-high 17 points in the third quarter, during which the Lynx out-scored the stars 33-10. Afterwards everyone was impressed with the toughness Dantas – who had a huge lump on her forehead – showed. She finished with 17 points, five rebounds, two steals and a block.
--Maya Moore did it again. She basically kept the Lynx afloat with a 18-point first half, and she finished with 25 points.
--Lindsay Whalen had another good game, with 19 points to go with five rebounds and three assists.
--It was very encouraging to see Devereaux Peters return just three weeks after May 7 knee surgery to get in 3-plus minutes of time. Coach Cheryl Reeve just wanted Peters to get some confidence back in the knee. Expect Peters to play more Sunday.
--Seimone Augustus continues to play efficiently, scoring 14 points on 7-for-11 shooting.
That's about it for now. These two teams have a rematch Sunday afternoon in San Antonio. It is the first of four straight road games, a stretch that includes games at Seattle, Los Angeles and Atlanta.
