At various points during Saturday’s matinee, Jonquel Jones threw her hands to the sky in frustration.
She did it after being called for back-to-back personal fouls in the second quarter while the Minnesota Lynx were on their way to an early 21-point lead. It happened again after she disagreed with a questionable offensive foul called on her in the fourth while her team attempted a late comeback.
That same frustration was also on display in Thursday’s home loss to the Chicago Sky. The Liberty showcased the same bad habits to start Saturday: poor communication on defense, stagnant offense, too many turnovers and an inability to score from deep.
Sandy Brondello’s squad flipped a switch in the second half, but the lackadaisical start was too much to come back from in Saturday’s 84-67 loss against the Lynx at Target Center.
After shortening a 21-point deficit and entering the fourth down eight, the Liberty managed to score just one field goal in the first six minutes of the period.
Lynx star Napheesa Collier essentially ended the game with a jumper that extended the lead to 18 with 2:55 remaining in regulation. Brondello then waved the white flag and directed her reserves to the scorers table.
It was a disappointing end to what seemed like a strong response to avoid the team’s first losing streak of the season.
The Liberty’s defense finally arrived minutes into the second quarter, getting the Lynx to commit 10 turnovers after trailing in the category, 7-1. The Liberty eventually went on a 24-6 run to end the second.
Poor second quarters have been the theme for the Liberty in the previous two games before Saturday’s loss. The Libs scored nine and 11 points, respectively, in that quarter against the Storm on Monday and Sky on Thursday. They were well on their way to another sluggish period, with the Lynx beginning the quarter on a 7-0 run, before Breanna Stewart and Courtney Vandersloot put the team on their backs.
Down 21 midway through the second, Stewart, who finished with a team-high 20 points and 11 rebounds, scored six straight. And the run became eight unanswered after Vandersloot picked Courtney Williams’ pocket and finished with a layup on the other end. The run forced Lynx head coach Cheryl Reeve to call a timeout, but her team couldn’t stop the bleeding.
Leonie Fiebich then came off the bench to hit two treys before halftime. Without Fiebich’s made threes, the team shot 2-for-14 from deep in the first half. And Vandersloot poured it on, contributing to 16 total team points in the period with assists and aggressive shot making. She recorded seven points and four assists in the period, which helped the Liberty trail by just four at the half. Vandersloot eventually finished with 12 points on 5-of-12 shooting and six assists.
The Liberty eventually tied the game in the third, but failed to take the lead. With 1:45 remaining in the third, the Libs’ deficit stretched to eight. Lynx guard Kayla McBride hit two treys that contributed to eight unanswered points within a minute. She hit two more threes overall (4-for-6) and finished with 14 points, five rebounds, five assists and two steals. The quick spurt showcased how the Lynx entered Saturday’s matchup leading the WNBA in points per game (89.0).
The home team kept a comfortable lead throughout the fourth while the Liberty failed to get a spurt like they did in the second. Sabrina Ionescu carried her team to a win against the Storm on Monday after starting slow, but wasn’t able to replicate that Saturday. She missed nine of 14 attempts for 13 points and one assist.
Jones’ foul trouble kept her from leaving a mark in the game. She failed to record at least 10 points for the second straight game, recording just four points and six boards in the loss.
