Erlana Larkins had 16 points and 15 rebounds, and the Indiana Fever stunned defending champion Minnesota with a 76-70 victory over the Lynx in Game 1 of the WNBA Finals on Sunday night.
Tamika Catchings added 20 points for the Fever, who played without leading scorer Katie Douglas because of a sprained left ankle.
Seimone Augustus scored 23 points and Rebekkah Brunson added 10 points and 10 rebounds for the Lynx, who are looking to become the WNBA's first repeat champion in 10 years.
These WNBA Finals are not for the feeble. Seimone Augustus and the Minnesota Lynx toughened up after a rare loss and a soft performance at home in the opener by wearing down the Indiana Fever.
Augustus scored 23 of her 27 points in the second half to help the Lynx surge past the Fever 83-71 on Wednesday night to even the best-of-five series at one game apiece...
Maya Moore pitched in 23 points and the defending champion Lynx forced the Fever into 24 turnovers, 15 after halftime. Tamika Catchings led the way as usual with 27 points and eight rebounds, but the Fever's defense faded after a dominant start that forced the Lynx to miss 11 of their first 14 shots...
Lynx reserve guard Monica Wright had five steals, and coach Cheryl Reeve said she changed the game with her defensive intensity. Inside, Rebekkah Brunson and Taj McWilliams-Franklin limited Erlana Larkins to three points on 1-for-6 shooting. She had 16 points and 15 rebounds in the opener. Dunn said she was disappointed in the effort.
Minnesota coach Cheryl Reeve drew national attention with her screaming, jacket-tossing meltdown in Game 2 of the WNBA Finals.
The Indiana Fever silenced her in Game 3. Shavonte Zellous scored a career-high 30 points to help the Fever beat the Lynx 76-59 on Friday night...
Tamika Catchings added 17 points and Erlana Larkins had 10 points and 15 rebounds for the Fever, who took a 2-1 lead in the series and can win their first title at home Sunday night against the defending champs.
Rebekkah Brunson, who scored 12 points, was the only Minnesota player to reach double figures...
Minnesota's previous playoff scoring low this season was 70 points against the Fever in Game 1 of the Finals. Maya Moore was held to eight points in Game 3 and Seimone Augustus, who scored 27 points in Game 2, had six on 3-for-9 shooting on Friday night. Minnesota finished with just six assists.
Indiana did it all without No. 2 scorer Katie Douglas. She is still sidelined with a severely sprained left ankle. Reserve guard Jeanette Pohlen is out with a left knee injury.
Tamika Catchings finally won her long-awaited WNBA championship.
She scored 25 points to help the Indiana Fever win their first title with an 87-78 victory over the Minnesota Lynx on Sunday night.
Catchings, who was the MVP of the Finals, averaged 24.8 points in the series, which the Fever won 3-1 over the defending WNBA champions.
Erin Phillips added 18 points and eight rebounds while Shavonte Zellous and Briann January each had 15 points.
The Fever won even though No. 2 scorer Katie Douglas missed most of the series with a severely sprained left knee. Douglas checked in with 3.2 seconds left to a loud ovation...
Seimone Augustus, Minnesota's leading scorer in the playoffs, was held to eight points on 3-for-21 shooting. Lindsay Whalen scored 22 points and Moore added 16 points for the Lynx, who were vying to become the first team to win consecutive titles since Los Angeles in 2001 and 2002.
2012 WNBA Finals discussion
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