A Look at the Lynx: Offensive Fever

#2 posting 8.4.2006
your daily dose of girls basketball news & information

Minnesota vs Indiana
MN's offense had a fever last night in Indiana. It was the 3rd worst performance this season in pp100, and 2nd worst in floor %.

NUMBERS EXPLAINED
player, high school, points, possessions, pp100, floor %

MINNESOTA
STARTERS
Amber Jacobs 11, 10, 110.0, .500
Seimone Augustus 16, 15, 106.7, .533
Kristen Mann 1, 13, 7.7, .077
Tamika Williams 6, 5, 120.0, .600
Nicole Ohlde 9, 11, 81.8. .364
BENCH
Vanessa Hayden 6, 6, 100.0, .500
Svetlana Abrosimova 10, 13, 76.9, .385
Shona Thorburn 0, 2, 0.0, .000
Megan Duffy 0, 2, 0.0, .000
Adrian Williams 0, 0, 0.0, .000

INDIANA
STARTERS
Tully Bevilaqua 8, 7, 114.3, .571
Anna DeForge 11, 12, 91.7, .333
Ebony Hoffman 4, 7, 57.1, .286
Tamika Catchings 17, 14, 121.4, .571
Tamika Whitmore 18, 14, 128.6, .571
BENCH
Team 0, 2, 0.0, .000 (24 seconds--they don't indicate player)
Kasha Terry 1, 7, 14.3, .143
La'Tangela Atkinson 0, 2, 0.0, .000
Olympia Scott 4, 2, 200.0, 1.000
Tan White 6, 10, 60.0, .300
KB Sharp 0, 0, 0.0, .000

TRENCH PLAYER
Tamika Whitmore

BY THE NUMBERS
Minnesota 59, 77, 76.6, .377
Indiana 69, 77, 89.6, .416

Indiana trailed 47-45 with 7:22 to go in the game. The key point, I believe, came when White missed her second free throw (she made her first) and DeForge rebounded. Eventually Tamika Catchings converted two free throws. Two possessions later it was the same thing, only the names had changed. This time DeForge missed the shot, it was a team rebound and Tamika Whitmore nailed two free throws. So in three possessions the game went from 50-48 Indiana to 56-49 Indiana. For some reason MN was called for plenty of fouls in the fourth quarter. Indiana was 14/18 for the entire quarter, MN was an anemic 2/4. MN's turnover problems that have plagued them all year reared their ugly head again. If they could value the ball for just three possessions they might have beat Indiana. The defense held the Fever to the 3rd best pp100 and floor % of the year. If the offense would have been average the Lynx would have won by five.

The Lynx have struggled all year with their perimeter bench. Abrosimova is more of a shooter than ball handler. Duffy and Thorburn have not given any stable contributions this year. And speaking of Dr. Jeckyl and Mrs. Hyde--Kristen Mann went from the penthouse to the outhouse in the space of one game. She had an eyepopping 190.0 against Seattle on Tuesday. Thursday she was in single digit land at 7.7.

Next up: later tonight with another look at the Lynx and their defense against Houston.