The WNBA鈥檚 leading scorer bounced back nicely Sunday. That was bad news for the unenergetic, uninspired Minnesota Lynx.
Jewell Loyd scored 31 points and Seattle beat Minnesota 88-74 in a relatively quiet Target Center.
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A visibly frustrated Cheryl Reeve questioned the team鈥檚 effort two days after Minnesota won 78-70 in the Pacific Northwest.
鈥淭hey came in with great will and determination and beat us in every phase of the game. 鈥� It鈥檚 unfathomable to me,鈥� the coach said.
The 15-17 Lynx are just 6-10 at home.
鈥淲e consistently come out and let an opponent just will their way in every phase of the game. You know, there鈥檚 countless games that we鈥檝e said this about. So, we don鈥檛 get it. We don鈥檛 get how to have a special season,鈥� Reeve said. 鈥淲e don鈥檛 get that you have to win your home games to have a special season. We don鈥檛 get that when you just beat a team on their floor how they鈥檙e going to come out and play. We don鈥檛 get it. It鈥檚 not like we don鈥檛 talk about it. 鈥� If we don鈥檛 fix it, it isn鈥檛 going to end like we want it to.鈥�
鈥淎bout 48 hours ago we came out with a determination and intensity about us,鈥� Kayla McBride said. 鈥淚 think it started on defense. 鈥� I just think we didn鈥檛 have it defensively being locked in and it carried over to offense.鈥�
Held to 15 points Friday, Loyd was 10 of 25 from the field, including 5 of 10 from outside the arc. She averages 24.1 points per contest.
Before the game, Reeve spoke about the importance of Lynx defenders getting out to consistently contest Loyd and Sami Whitcomb.
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Whitcomb had 10 for the Storm, 13 fewer than Friday. Seattle was 10 for 26 from deep, Minnesota 4 of 18.
鈥淛ewell was obviously terrific. But look at what we did. Look at what we did,鈥� Reeve said. 鈥淵ou know, the focal point was to get her off the three-point line. We went under screens, out of plays and they鈥檙e wide open, you know, five threes in the first half for those two players alone. Jewell got a fire lit in the last five minutes of the fourth quarter in Seattle and she continued it throughout the game. Our pick and roll defense, our point of the screen defense was horrendous.鈥�
Minnesota cut its deficit to 10 early in the fourth quarter, but the team missed a pair of shots from in close. Back the other way, Loyd drove past Nikolina Milic to score on a layup and make a subsequent free throw to make it 71-58.
A pair of uncontested baskets by Loyd 鈥� a wide-open three-pointer and a jumper 鈥� pushed the lead to 78-61 midway through the quarter.
鈥淭his is about dictating and not reacting,鈥� McBride said. 鈥淲hen you鈥檙e playing a great scorer like Jewell Loyd, she鈥檚 gonna get her shots, she鈥檚 gonna get to her spots, but it鈥檚 about making everything hard for her.鈥�
McBride led Minnesota with 18 points. Napheesa Collier had 14 points and nine rebounds, and Tiffany Mitchell added 11 points.
Seattle (10-22) scored 21 points off 12 Minnesota turnovers; the Lynx scored six points off nine Storm miscues. And Seattle outrebounded Minnesota 41-37 and had a 20-11 edge in second-chance points.
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A three-pointer from McBride put the Lynx up by one with 3:22 left in the first half. Seattle scored 24 of the next 32 points, including Dulcy Fankam Mendjiadeu getting the better of three Lynx defenders in the paint to make it 57-42 in the third quarter.
Minnesota rallied with an 8-0 run over the next five minutes before Seattle scored seven straight points. The Storm led by a dozen points heading into the fourth quarter.
鈥淎 team that鈥檚 won five less games than us, a team that we beat three times to just kind of come in here and just have more fun and more will. That鈥檚 tough,鈥� Reeve said. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 a tough night for the Lynx.鈥�
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