Sunday in Game 1 of the WNBA Finals at Target Center, Coleman and the rest of the Fever’s perimeter players did not hesitate to take advantage of their offensive opportunities, and as a result, took control of what turned into a 75-69 victory against Minnesota.
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And they did it behind 19 points by Briann January, 16 by Marissa Coleman and 12 from Tamika Catchings. All other games will be played on ESPN2, except for the if-necessary Game 4, which will be televised on ESPN. Indiana won Game 1 of that series en route to the franchise’s only championship. Shavonte Zellous drove to the rim for a layup to make it 72-67 with 53 seconds left, and Catchings scored the final three points on free throws.
Indiana led 70-65 with 1:12 to play when January fouled out and was assessed a technical.
“When she plays the way that she knows how to defensively, she gets under people’s skin so bad”, Catchings said.
“It’s special to be back there”, said Fever coach Stephanie White, who is the first rookie WNBA coach to lead a team to the finals. “It’s fun to watch as a teammate”.
Catchings, who is on the opposite end of the spectrum in regard to WNBA Finals experience – this was her 10th game – praised her entire team for displaying the unity that has gotten the Fever this far. “She’s playing with a different poise and at a different pace”.
Moore finished the half with 15 points, though she didn’t get a lot of help.
Minnesota’s Maya Moore also had a stand-out game with 27 points, but it wasn’t enough for the Lynx to get a victory. “We can just go back and look at the things we didn’t do so well and push forward for the next game on Tuesday”.
Minnesota rallied to take a 62-61 lead midway through the fourth quarter on a Fowles layin, but Indiana quickly retook a lead it wouldn’t surrender.
Minnesota quickly pulled closer, as Moore led Minnesota on a 6-2 run to pull within three with just under eight minutes remaining.
Reeve was vexed afterward because the Lynx led the Fever in shooting percentage (42 to 36 percent), rebounds (34-32) and free throw attempts (23-16).
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Johnson would hit another bucket the next time down the court, giving her 10 or more points in six of Indiana’s seven postseason contests. “We trust one another and we understand that no matter what happens through the course of a game, if we come together we’re going to put ourselves in a position to win”.
