The Minnesota Lynx extended their impressive winning streak to 8-0 with their 79-55 victory against the Seattle Storm on Wednesday, June 6. This defeat marked the second Storm loss to the Lynx in 10 days. With this loss, the Storm's record falls to 1-5.
Storm Never Held the Lead
The Lynx set the tempo early in the game. They started the first quarter with a 17-4 run against the Storm. With that sort of energy to start the game, I was worried that the Storm were doomed to go down in a major blowout. Although the Storm outscored the Lynx 22-18 in the second quarter, they were never able to hold a lead in the game. The Lynx led the game by as many as 27 points.
Taj McWilliams-Franklin was the game high scorer with 17 points for the Lynx. Four other Lynx players scored in the double digits even though Seimone Augustus sat out the game with a right quad strain.
Tanisha Wright scored a team-high 14 points for the Storm. She was the only Storm player to score in the double digits. Sue Bird was held to just four points. Katie Smith remained scoreless.
On a positive note, the Storm held the Lynx to just 79 points, the lowest number of points scored by the Lynx so far in the 2012 season. The Lynx scored the same number of points against the Washington Mystics when they competed earlier in May.
Lynx Make History
The Lynx have definitely shown their dominance early in the season. They have already surpassed the New York Liberty, Houston Comets and Detroit Shock by winning more consecutive games to start the WNBA season. Those teams started their seasons with a seven game winning streak. With their eight wins to start the season, the Lynx set their sights on surpassing the nine game streak held by the Los Angeles Sparks. The Sparks have met this milestone twice: in 2001 and 2003.
The Storm are in the middle of a five-game road trip. They will face San Antonio, Chicago and Tulsa before returning to Key Arena for a rematch against the Lynx on June 17.
Anne Bucher has been a devoted follower of the WNBA since its inception in 1997. A Texas native, she cheered the Houston Comets on to their four consecutive championship titles. Now she lives in the Northwest and roots for the Seattle Storm.
