Moore led all scorers in the game with 24 points, including that game-winning three that came off an inbounds play with 1.7 seconds left. But the Fever did not score again and the Lynx tied it at 77 with 1:10 remaining on a 3-pointer from guard Renee Montgomery, who had 12 of the 28 points scored by non-starters.
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Moore’s shot ended a thrilling game that both coaches said was one of the most entertaining in WNBA Finals history and gave Minnesota a 2-1 lead in the best-of-five series. The Fever are no strangers to having their backs up against the wall, having won all of their elimination games in the first two rounds of the playoffs.
Indiana was only 7 of 17 from the field in the first quarter but 4 of 7 from beyond the arc.
If January continues her strong play and Catchings finds her groove again, the Fever could easily post a repeat of the 2012 WNBA Finals, when they beat the Lynx 3-1 to take the championship.
It might not have been her best night offensively, but she was able to set the tone with 11 points and 11 rebounds.
“You know Maya Moore is going to get it”, White said. “As a team we lost our poise, we lost our composure”. Montgomery was traded to Minnesota from Seattle in July, sending her from a team in rebuilding mode to one in championship-contending mode.
“With the level of success she’s had her whole career, and the way she continually comes through in big moments, continually gets big numbers… we’re really witnessing greatness”. Even though this is White’s first season as a head coach, the WNBA isn’t likely to excuse her for being a novice who didn’t know better. “But I recognize we’re witnessing greatness”. That one’s got to be up there.
Yet when the time came for that type of scenario on Friday, Moore was the obvious choice for the shot. “It’s a heartbreaker to lose like that”.
It looked like Indiana wanted no part of Minnesota’s presence under the basket early, as it was having problems penetrating the Lynx defense. Johnson had nine points in that spurt, including a three-pointer that gave the Fever a 37-34 lead.
That shot capped a 9-0 burst in the run and brought the crowd of 16,332 fans, which included Paul George and many members of the Indiana Pacers, to their feet.
During the second quarter, Indiana honored former stars Katie Douglas and Tammy Sutton-Brown, who helped the Fever win their lone title in 2012.
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Moore had played just 1 minute, 46 seconds in the third quarter.
