After a hotly contested game 1, Alana Beard lifted the Sparks to victory over the Lynx with a buzzer beating jump shot to lead the WNBA Finals 1-0.
Kristi Toliver and Nneka Ogwumike lead the way with 19 points each for the Sparks while Candace Parker tipped in 14 points and nine rebounds for the win. During the post-game press conference, Beard discussed being ready and watching the play when the opportunity to throw up the game winner presented itself.
I was just watching the play, to be honest with you. I knew what we were looking for. I saw that Minnesota did a great job of taking away the options, which was expected, and Chelsea kind of rejected the screen and drove and read the defense, and at one point, however many seconds left on the clock, you kind of have to take that shot, so I threw it up.
After being held scoreless in the first half Maya Moore reignited in the second half for 18 with Sylvia Fowles and Lindsay Whalen matching Moore for 18 each for Minnesota. Plagued with turnovers through out the game, ending the day with 16, Whalen credited strong Sparks defense for the turnovers and her hopes for a better team effort in Game 2.
You know, a big part of it is being able to take care of the ball, getting good shots. We’ll have to just have a concerted effort on that part, and give them credit for their defense. They did great, and obviously we’ll watch and see what we can do better for Tuesday.
The teams will meet again Tuesday at Target Center for Game 2.