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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Storm take drubbing from Lynx

Associated Press
Seimone Augustus and Candice Wiggins scored 16 points each as the Minnesota Lynx cruised to a 92-67 victory over the Seattle Storm on Friday night in Minneapolis. Maya Moore added 12 points and Taj McWilliams-Franklin had 10 to help the Lynx (12-4) win their fifth straight and seventh in eight games. Minnesota extended its lead in the West to one game over idle San Antonio. Swin Cash scored 18 points to lead Seattle (9-8), but leading scorer Sue Bird was held to just four points on 1-for-6 shooting. Minnesota has a winning record after the All-Star break for the first time in franchise history. With a resurgent Augustus, and Moore finding her way in her rookie season, the Lynx have several weapons. With four All-Stars in Augustus, Moore, Whalen and Rebekkah Brunson, Minnesota had the most players on the West All-Star team. The Lynx had 24 assists led by Moore’s season-high six. Minnesota started on a 7-0 run, but Seattle came back. Cash, who led the West with 21 points in last weekend’s All-Star game, hit two 3-pointers to get the Storm started and she scored 10 of the team’s 16 points in the first quarter. But with Augustus and Moore leading the way, Minnesota took control. The Lynx went on a 33-12 run spanning the end of the first and start of the second to lead 46-26. Augustus scored eight points and Moore added seven during the spurt. Minnesota eventually led by 32, marking the fifth time in eight games, and ninth overall, the Lynx have led by at least 20. They’ve led by 30 three times this season. The Storm came in with back-to-back wins against San Antonio and Phoenix — the two teams ahead of them in the West — as they try to re-establish themselves as a factor even without three-time league MVP Lauren Jackson, who has played only five games this season. But Seattle couldn’t get untracked against Minnesota’s swarming defense. The Storm shot just 42 percent from the field and committed 18 turnovers, leading to 25 Lynx points. Minnesota has scored 88 points off of 60 turnovers in the past three games.