Fever shuts down Lynx for 2-1 lead
BY CLIFF BRUNT Associated Press
Saturday, October 20, 2012
10/20/12 at 6:04 AM
INDIANAPOLIS - Shavonte Zellous scored a career-high 30 points to help the Indiana Fever beat the Minnesota Lynx 76-59 in Game 3 of the WNBA Finals.
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.
Rebekkah Brunson, who scored 12 points, was the only Minnesota player to reach double figures.
The Fever's lead of 70-33 with 1:58 left in the third quarter was the largest lead by any team in WNBA Finals history.
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.
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.
Indiana led 21-16 at the end of the first quarter, and the Fever extended their lead to 28-18 in the second quarter, causing the Lynx to call a timeout.
A no-look pass by Catchings directly led to a 3-pointer by Zellous and gave the Fever a 33-20 advantage. On Indiana's next possession, Catchings drove through traffic for a layup to push the lead to 15. The Fever made a 12-0 run spanning 3:40 to take a 40-20 lead.
Indiana led 45-27 at halftime. Minnesota shot 5-for-19 from the field in the second quarter. Those tough, contested shots Minnesota made in the first quarter didn't fall in the second.
Catchings' baseline jumper pushed Indiana's lead back to 20 early in the third quarter. Erin Phillips was fouled on a 3-pointer by Monica Wright, and she fell to the ground in front of Reeve. Phillips made all three free throws to make it 54-29.
Fever 76, Lynx 59
| Minnesota |
16 |
11 |
11 |
21 |
- |
59 |
| Indiana |
21 |
24 |
25 |
6 |
- |
76 |
Minnesota: Moore 3-8 0-0 8, Brunson 4-9 4-4 12, McWilliams-Franklin 1-5 2-2 4, Augustus 3-9 0-0 6, Whalen 2-7 2-2 7, Peters 1-3 2-3 4, Wiggins 1-3 0-0 3, Wright 2-8 3-4 7, Harris 0-1 0-0 0, Thorn 3-4 1-1 8, Adair 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 20-57 14-16 59.
Indiana: Catchings 5-13 6-6 17, Zellous 10-17 7-7 30, Larkins 3-5 4-4 10, Phillips 4-11 4-5 13, January 1-8 0-0 2, Christmas 1-4 0-0 2, Sutton-Brown 0-2 0-0 0, Davenport 1-5 0-0 2, Goodlett 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 25-65 21-22 76.
WNBA FINALS
(Best-of-5)
INDIANA 2, MINNESOTA 1
Oct. 14: Indiana 76, Minnesota 70
Oct. 17: Minnesota 83, Indiana 71
Friday: Indiana 76, Minnesota 59
Sunday: Minnesota at Indiana, 7 p.m.
x-Oct. 24: Indiana at Minnesota, 7 p.m.
