Game Story
The Minnesota Lynx entered Friday evening’s tip losers of two in a row for the first time all season. To make matters worse, this was the third game of a three-game road trip. Still not enough? How about being at the end of a back-to-back? If you thought this was going to be a good situation for them to address their issue with slow starts, then you are mistaken.
It took the Indiana Fever less than 5 minutes to sprint out to a three possession lead.
The injury-laden Fever had just pulled off their
biggest comeback of the season on Sunday, so they wanted to avoid that same situation. They were on fire from deep to the thrill of the crowd. Lexie Hull, in particular, was phenomenal. She scored or assisted on 13 of her team’s first 16 points, eventually usurping her previous season-high in points in just the first half (18).
Hull’s marksmanship was contagious, as Indiana drilled 10 of 14 triples before halftime. They were without the services of Caitlin Clark, Sophie Cunningham, Aari McDonald, Sydney Colson, and Chloe Bibby, but it opened the door for the newly signed Shey Peddy, playing in her first game for the Fever, to go a perfect three for three from beyond the arc in the first half.
As usual, the Lynx refused to lay down. Facing down the barrel of a 12-point deficit in the second quarter, Kayla McBride got loose for a 14-point second quarter. Natisha Hiedeman and Maria Kliundikova also played valuable minutes off the bench to help their team tie the game back up before halftime.
However, the star for Minnesota, and the game, was none other than Jessica Shepard.
The fifth year vet played every single minute of the first half (and the game), coming just one rebound shy of a triple-double. You read that right. It took just two minutes into the second half for Shepard to shepherd in her tenth rebound of the night, making her just the second player in franchise history to achieve this feat.
It’s a bit astonishing that a franchise as storied and blessed with talent as Minnesota only has two players who’ve ever done this, but there’s not many more deserving than the hard-working Shepard. Not only was this a historical moment for the Lynx, but her efforts on both ends of the court helped her team sprint back ahead with a massive 32-point third quarter. Alanna Smith came to the party, chipping in a few triples of her own. McBride was still on fire. It was a total team effort, seeing Minnesota go an eye-popping 13 of 15 from the field.
A 82-69 Lynx lead heading into the fourth quarter never got within a single possession again.
It was an impressive effort by a championship caliber team who have been reeling. To be able to battle back from a double-digit deficit, on the road, at the end of a back-to-back, while the other team is shooting the lights out? Special.
Or I guess I should say… Sh-pecial.
Oh, and “Hi mom.”
Quick Hits
- Jessica Shepard had perhaps one of the most impressive stats lines you’ll ever see. Finishing with 22 points, 11 rebounds, 11 assists, 0 turnovers, all while going 10 of 11 from the field and not resting a single minute? This is an all-timer. Who would’ve thought the return of Shepard was the missing piece for the Lynx?
- Kayla McBride was brilliant all night. It was a casual 29-point performance while going 4 for 8 from beyond the arc. Her biggest moment of the night was a driving layup to stem an 8-0 Indiana run late in the game, keeping it a three possession game. McBuckets had a number of highlight worthy moments to boot, making several defenders touch Earth.
- Once again, Natisha Hiedeman was a necessary spark plug off the bench. Most notably, she had a 7-point spurt in the second quarter that helped keep the Lynx in it. She finished with a cool 17 points on 6 of 10 shooting. The second half of the StudBudz™, Courtney Williams, had another night to forget, going 1 for 5 from the field and seeing just 14 minutes of action. Reeve said post game that Williams is going through an ailment, for what it’s worth.
- This was a game where both teams shot north of 54% from the field. Head coach Cheryl Reeve surely isn’t thrilled about this in it’s totality, but the clamped down when it mattered. The Fever still ended the night shooting 13 of 20 from perimeter which can certainly be chalked up as a statistical anomaly.
Highlights
Box Score
Up Next
Minnesota gets to head home with their heads held high, going 1-2 in their road trip. They host the Indiana Fever again on Sunday, August 24th at 6:00 PM CT, looking to build another win streak. Their cushion for the number one seed is still at X.X games with just three weeks before postseason begins.
