2011 WNBA Finals: Minnesota Lynx Sweep Atlanta Dream, Take Home First Title
Despite other sports teams struggling in the Land of 10,000 Lakes, the Minnesota Lynx made winning look easy when they swept the Atlanta Dream to take home the franchise's first title after a 73-67 victory Friday night. Seimone Augustus and Maya Moore led the squad with 16 and 15 points, respectively.
Angel McCoughtry scored 22 points and pulled down five rebounds, but the Atlanta forward saw only one other teammate tally double digits, and Minnesota held its opponent to only 35 percent from the field.
Although Atlanta outscored the Lynx in the first half, Cheryl Reeve's pack played tough defense, holding the Dream to only nine points in the third quarter.
"I'm just glad we were able to finish playing Lynx basketball by being a good defensive team," Moore said.
Minnesota's offense didn't look too shabby, either, as they went on an 11-4 run to end the period.
Atlanta battled for a comeback in the final quarter, but fouls hurt the southeastern team. In the last few minutes, veteran Minnesota center Taj McWilliams-Franklin nailed four buckets from the charity stripe, and Lindsay Whalen added a fifth point to hold the lead.
Fans were happy to see McWilliams-Franklin start after leaving Wednesday's contest with a sprained knee. "Maybe now [her knees are] sore," Reeve said, "but when you're in a close-out moment for the WNBA Finals, you don't feel a thing."
The Championship victory marked the sixth consecutive win for the Lynx, who also swept the Phoenix series en route to the trophy.
