Indiana Fever beats Minnesota Lynx, 75-69, in Game 1 of WNBA Finals
Fever forward Erlana Larkins, left, tries to keep Lynx center Sylvia Fowles from getting to a loose ball in the second half of their WNBA Finals game Sunday.
Briann January had 19 points and six assists and the Indiana Fever stole home-court advantage in the WNBA Finals with a 75-69 victory over the host Minnesota Lynx in Game 1 on Sunday.
Marissa Coleman added 16 points and the Fever hit all 16 of its free throws in a rematch of the 2012 finals. Indiana won Game 1 of that series as well en route to the franchise’s only championship.
Maya Moore had 27 points and 12 rebounds and Sylvia Fowles add 21 points and 11 rebounds for the Lynx. But Minnesota missed eight free throws and turned the ball over 15 times to drop the opener.
Game 2 in the best-of-five series is Tuesday night in Minneapolis.
Veteran Tamika Catchings had 12 points, six rebounds and four assists for the Fever, which never got rattled by Minnesota’s boisterous home crowd.
The Lynx were 19-2 at Target Center in their playoff history, the best winning percentage in the WNBA. One of those defeats came against the Fever in Game 1 of the 2012 finals.
This one followed a similar script, with the determined and gritty Fever absorbing several haymakers from the Lynx and pushing back each time.
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