Lynx win West finals opener
BY Associated Press
Friday, October 05, 2012
10/05/12 at 6:01 AM
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) - Maya Moore scored 20 points, Rebekkah Brunson had 14 points and 10 rebounds, and the Minnesota Lynx beat the Los Angeles Sparks 94-77 Thursday night in the opener of the Western Conference finals.
Seimone Augustus added 16 points for the defending champion Lynx. Candace Parker scored 25 points and Alana Beard had 16 for Los Angeles. Kristi Toliver, who came in averaging 26 points in the playoffs, was held to 12.
Game 2 of the best-of-three series is Sunday in Los Angeles, where the Lynx are 4-21 all-time.
The high scoring should not have been a surprise after Minnesota averaged a WNBA-best 86 points during the regular season - just two more than Los Angeles.
Minnesota outscored the Sparks 46-34 in the paint and held a 20-2 advantage in second-chance points to improve to a 19-1 home record.
The Lynx scored 32 points in the second quarter for a 48-31 halftime lead.
Los Angeles pulled to 73-63 midway through the fourth, but the Lynx answered with back-to-back 3-pointers by Moore and Wright.
