AT&T Center – The San Antonio Stars gave their best championship effort for the first ten minutes of Game 2, but it was still not enough to stop the league MVP and defending champions.
Kayla McBride scored 25 points, but it was not enough to keep San Antonio’s season alive as they fell 94-89 in Game 2 of their Western Conference Semifinals series in front of 7,085 fans inside the AT&T Center on Saturday night.
Danielle Adams added 23, and Jia Perkins had 17 for the Stars, who have not won a playoff series since 2008. Becky Hammon scored 12 points in her final WNBA game as she will retire and become the first woman to be a full-time NBA assistant coach, joining the San Antonio Spurs.
The Stars came out aggressive on both ends of the court and led 22-4 with 4:54 remaining in the first quarter and led 28-12 after the opening ten minutes. From the second quarter on Minnesota took control the rest of the way, outscoring San Antonio 87-61 in the final three quarters.
“It was a shame to start the game that way and then just kind of trail off,” Hammon said. ”We know they are a great team and have tremendous scorers. To do what we did in the first quarter and for them to still ring up 90-plus points, they really put it on us from second quarter on.”
Lindsay Whalen scored a playoff career-high 31 points to lead the Lynx. Seimone Augustus had 21 points and Maya Moore added 16 for Minnesota, who will await the winner of the Phoenix-Los Angeles series.
”Physically, we weren’t there, but mentally we knew it,” Minnesota head coach Cheryl Reeve said of her teams bad start. ”We just didn’t respond. They did exactly what we thought. For two games they played great.”
Hammon received a standing ovation from the crowd and Minnesota’s players and coaching staff. Following the game, the 16-year veteran got emotional when talking about Hughes and what leaving him is like.
“He’s a good person,” Hammon said. “I’ll miss going to his office and picking his brain..I’ve loved playing for him, he made me a better player and better person. At the end of the day that’s the kind of relationship you want to have with someone.”
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