Clark, Fever dominate Lynx 74-59 to clinch WNBA Commissioner’s Cup Title
On Tuesday night, Howard recorded 16 points, 12 rebounds, and four assists as the Fever triumphed over the Minnesota Lynx with a score of 74-59 in the WNBA Commissioner’s Cup final.
The Indiana team played without Clark, their All-Star guard, who has been out since June 24 due to a strained groin. However, this did not hinder the Fever, who managed to recover from an early 13-point deficit through balanced scoring and a strong defensive effort against the league's top team.
“You must have confidence in yourself and trust in your teammates to allow others to rise to the occasion in critical moments, and I believe this group is beginning to understand that,” remarked Fever coach Stephanie White, whose team currently holds an 8-8 record.
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Howard, the 2019 WNBA Defensive Player of the Year, limited Lynx All-Star Napheesa Collier to only 12 points on 6-for-18 shooting. Additionally, Collier contributed to five of Minnesota’s 16 turnovers. “Phee’s a great player, but my thing was, make her take hard shots, and that’s what I did tonight,” said Howard, who was named the game’s MVP.
Minnesota experienced its most disappointing offensive display of the season, achieving a shooting percentage of 34.9% from the field and converting 4 out of 16 attempts from beyond the arc, despite averaging 9.4 three-pointers per game this season.
“We have a tendency sometimes to get impatient, and I didn’t think that our commitment to moving the basketball and creating advantages we had a hard time getting that done,” Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve said.
Sophie Cunningham scored 13 points while Aliyah Boston, Aari McDonald and Kelsey Mitchell each scored 12 points. “I described this entire experience as a gut-check experience, and I mean it intentionally. I mean, physically, mentally, psychologically,” Mitchell said. “We did an unbelievable job of just staying together and weathering the storm.”
Alanna Smith was the leading scorer for Minnesota with 15 points. Courtney Williams contributed 11 points but also recorded a team-high of six turnovers. Minnesota started strong, with Smith sinking a 3-pointer and executing an acrobatic layup, culminating in a 12-0 run that established an 18-9 advantage for the Lynx.
They extended their lead to 27-14 early in the second quarter. However, Minnesota went scoreless for the last 8:17 of the half, missing all 10 of their attempts from the field, allowing the Fever to make a comeback. Cunningham made two 3-pointers as Indiana finished the quarter with an 18-0 run, taking a 32-27 lead at halftime.
The Fever increased their lead to double digits as Howard scored 10 points in the third quarter, and the Lynx were unable to get within seven points for the remainder of the game. When Minnesota managed to reduce the deficit to 60-51 midway through the fourth quarter, Cunningham hit her third 3-pointer of the evening, quieting the crowd and propelling the Fever forward.
The Lynx triumphed over the New York Liberty on the road in last year’s Commissioner’s Cup final. Minnesota secured home-court advantage this year due to their league-leading record of 14-2.
Following their first home loss of the season, the Lynx expressed a strong desire to learn from the experience of the defeat.
“We always want to play our best basketball,” Smith said. “So we have to take this game to heart and ... learn from the mistakes that we made in this game, the way we showed up, the way that we prepared, and just make sure that we don’t do it again.”
Chris John