House of Augustus! Seimone Augustus scores 20 in Lynx victory

Minneapolis, Minn. – After missing the previous three games due to knee soreness, Minnesota Lynx guard Seimone Augustus made a resounding return Friday to lead her team to an 88-70 victory over the Eastern Conference-leading Liberty.

Despite being a game-time decision, Augustus put up a game-high 20 points on 9-of-13 shooting. Forward Maya Moore notched 15 and Janel McCarville netted 10.

“We came in I think with the right focus”, Moore said. “Our coaching staff did an excellent job this week with preparing us and getting us ready to be mentally ready for this game and we just had to bring the energy.”

For the Lynx the focus of this game was their defense, especially considering that aspect was a focal point in their June 29 loss to the Liberty. Having entered the game ranked second in the WNBA in turnovers forced (15.6), Minnesota would force 15 turnovers for 15 points.

With the Lynx and Liberty both vying for second place in the overall league standings, there was no denying the intensity from the jump.

“Big game, we told our players the tiebreak with New York is something that was something that both teams coveted”, Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve said “Having that opportunity to pick up a full game in the standings when you’re playing against a team that’s really kind of nipping at your heels.”

“We got a lot of things done that we wanted to do but we just felt like there were places we could be even better. Overall, you want to celebrate that we got a win in pretty convincing fashion.”

Although she scored 30 points with nine three point baskets in their previous meeting, Liberty guard Sugar Rodgers was held to only 2 points. Forward Tina Charles scored 15 with 14 rebounds in the losing effort for the Liberty

“They were just executing their plays”, Charles noted. “[Augustus] had a really good night. They made it really hard defensively. Obviously they keyed in on Sugar Rodgers and what she’s been able to do against this team in the past.”

Ladies in Pink

Friday was Breast Health Awareness Night at Target Center and as such the Lynx donned pink uniforms. The team was able to raise $34,450 for breast health awareness