2012 Minnesota Lynx season

Last updated

2012 Minnesota Lynx season
Coach Cheryl Reeve
Arena Target Center
Attendance9,683 per game
Results
Record27–7 (.794)
Place1st (Western)
Playoff finishLost WNBA Finals
Team Leaders
Points Augustus (16.8)
Rebounds Brunson (8.90)
Assists Whalen (5.4)
Media
Radio KLCI
Television FS-N
ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, NBATV

The 2012 WNBA season is the 14th season for the Minnesota Lynx of the Women's National Basketball Association. The Lynx were the defending WNBA Champions, having won the 2011 WNBA Finals over the Atlanta Dream. The Lynx qualified for the playoffs, and finished with the best record in the WNBA. On October 7, 2012, the Lynx won their second straight WNBA Western Conference championship, earning a spot in the 2012 WNBA finals.

Contents

Transactions

WNBA draft

The following are the Lynx' selections in the 2012 WNBA draft.

RoundPickPlayerNationalitySchool/team/country
13 (from Was.) Devereaux Peters Flag of the United States.svg  United States Notre Dame
112 Damiris Dantas do Amaral Flag of Brazil.svg  Brazil Brazil
218 (from Pho.) Julie Wojta Flag of the United States.svg  United States Wisconsin-Green Bay
219 (from N.Y.)Kayla StandishFlag of the United States.svg  United States Gonzaga
220 (from Atl.) Nika Barič Flag of Slovenia.svg  Slovenia Merkur Celjie (Slovenia)
331 (from N.Y.)Jacki GemelosFlag of the United States.svg  United States USC

Transaction log

Trades

DateTrade
February 2, 2012To Minnesota Lynx To Phoenix Mercury
Second-round pick in 2013 Draft Alexis Hornbuckle
February 28, 2012To Minnesota Lynx To Phoenix Mercury
18th pick in 2012 Draft Charde Houston and 24th pick in 2012 Draft

Personnel changes

Roster

2012 Minnesota Lynx roster
PlayersCoaches
Pos.#Nat.NameHeightWeightDOBFromYrs
C 1 Flag of the United States.svg Adair, Jessica 6' 4" (1.93m)197 lb (89kg)12-19-1986 George Washington 2
G/F 33 Flag of the United States.svg Augustus, Seimone 6' 0" (1.83m)165 lb (75kg)04-30-1984 LSU 6
F 32 Flag of the United States.svg Brunson, Rebekkah 6' 2" (1.88m)184 lb (83kg)12-11-1981 Georgetown 8
F 6 Flag of the United States.svg Harris, Amber 6' 5" (1.96m)202 lb (92kg)01-16-1988 Xavier 1
F/C 8 Flag of the United States.svg McWilliams-Franklin, Taj 6' 2" (1.88m)195 lb (88kg)08-20-1970 St. Edward's 13
F 23 Flag of the United States.svg Moore, Maya 6' 0" (1.83m)175 lb (79kg)06-11-1989 Connecticut 1
F 14 Flag of the United States.svg Peters, Devereaux 6' 2" (1.88m)170 lb (77kg)10-08-1989 Notre Dame R
G 5 Flag of the United States.svg Thorn, Erin 5' 9" (1.75m)145 lb (66kg)05-19-1981 BYU 9
G 13 Flag of the United States.svg Whalen, Lindsay 5' 9" (1.75m)160 lb (73kg)05-09-1982 Minnesota 8
G 11 Flag of the United States.svg Wiggins, Candice 5' 11" (1.8m)147 lb (67kg)02-14-1987 Stanford 4
G/F 22 Flag of the United States.svg Wright, Monica 5' 10" (1.78m)171 lb (78kg)07-15-1988 Virginia 2
Head coach
Flag of the United States.svg Cheryl Reeve (La Salle)
Assistant coaches
Flag of the United States.svg Shelley Patterson (Washington State)
Flag of the United States.svg Jim Petersen (Minnesota)
Athletic trainer
Flag of the United States.svg Chuck Barta (Wisconsin-La Crosse)
Assistant trainer
Flag of the United States.svg Keith Uzpen (Minnesota State-Mankato)
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (FA) Free agent
  • (IN) Inactive
  • (S) Suspended
  • Cruz Roja.svg Injured

Depth

Pos.StarterBench
C Taj McWilliams-Franklin Jessica Adair
Amber Harris
PF Rebekkah Brunson Devereaux Peters
SF Maya Moore Monica Wright
SG Seimone Augustus Candice Wiggins
PG Lindsay Whalen Erin Thorn

Season summary

First Half of Season

Expectations were high for the Lynx as they opened the 2012 season. The team returned all five starters from their 2011 championship season, including four all-stars. Those expectations were matched through the early part of the season, as the team set the WNBA record with 10 consecutive wins to start the season, before losing to Seattle on June 17. [1] The team then won two consecutive games to run their record to 12-1.

July proved to be a difficult month. The team lost three straight to start the month, and lost forwards Devereaux Peters and Rebekkah Brunson to injuries. The team signed guard Julie Wojta, who had been drafted by the team but cut after training camp, to a 7-day contract to provide depth. The Lynx rebounded by winning back-to-back games over the Tulsa Shock, and went into the Summer Olympic Break with a 15-4 record.

Olympics

Three members of the Lynx—Seimone Augustus, Maya Moore, and Lindsay Whalen—were members of the United States women's national basketball team for the 2012 Summer Olympics. The three players were the most contributed by any WNBA squad. The team won gold during the games, the second medal for Augustus, and the first each for Moore and Whalen.

Injuries

Seimone Augustus missed two games in June with a strained quadriceps muscle. Jessica Adair underwent arthroscopic surgery on her knee on June 21. Devereaux Peters and Rebekkah Brunson both went out with injuries in July.

Second half of season

The Lynx returned to action on August 17, 2012, beating the Washington Mystics 98-69. They won their second game back, beating Tulsa 83–59 to clinch a berth in the playoffs. [2] It was the earliest in a season the Lynx had ever clinched a playoff spot.

The Lynx tied a WNBA record on September 7, when they came back from a 25-point deficit to defeat the Atlanta Dream in double overtime. [3]

The Lynx did not lose until September 11, when they fell to the Chicago Sky. By that point, the Lynx were comfortably ahead in the Western Conference standings; the team ultimately won the top overall seed in the playoffs, and matched a franchise record with 27 wins.

Season standings

Western Conference
W L PCT GB Home Road Conf.
Minnesota Lynx z277.794–16–111–617–5
Los Angeles Sparks x2410.7063.016–18–915–7
San Antonio Silver Stars x2113.6186.012–59–814–8
Seattle Storm x1618.47111.010–76–1111–11
Tulsa Shock o925.26518.06–113–145–17
Phoenix Mercury o727.20620.03–144–134–18

Schedule

Preseason

2012 Game Log: Preseason (May)
GameDateTime (ET)OpponentTVScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation/AttendanceRecord
1Thu 107:00@ Connecticut CPTV-S 87-85 Augustus (12) Peters
Wojta (7)		 Whalen (5) Mohegan Sun Arena
4,835		1-0
2Tue 151:00 Chicago 82-61 Wright (14) Brunson (7) Whalen (8) University of Minnesota
4,102		2-0

Regular season

2012 Game Log: Regular Season
May (5–0)
GameDateTime (ET)OpponentTVScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation/AttendanceRecord
1Sun 2012:30 Phoenix ABC 105-83 Augustus (19) Brunson (9) McWilliams-Franklin
Whalen
Wright (5)		 Target Center
12,611		1-0
2Tue 227:00@ New York 80-62 Augustus (22) McWilliams-Franklin (11) Moore (7) Prudential Center
5,411		2-0
3Thu 248:00 Los Angeles 92-84 Augustus (25) McWilliams-Franklin (8) McWilliams-Franklin (4) Target Center
7,923		3-0
4Sun 277:00 Seattle FS-N 84-71 Moore (19) Brunson (7) Whalen (8) Target Center
7,832		4-0
5Wed 307:00@ Washington CSN-MA 79-77 Brunson
Moore (16)		 Brunson (9) Whalen (7) Verizon Center
8,131		5-0
June (8–1)
GameDateTime (ET)OpponentTVScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation/AttendanceRecord
6Fri 17:00@ Connecticut CPTV-S 85-72 Augustus (23) Brunson (13) Whalen (8) Mohegan Sun Arena
7,249		6-0
7Sun 37:00 San Antonio FS-N
FS-SW 		83-79 Brunson
Moore (17)		 Brunson
Whalen (8)		 Whalen (7) Target Center
7,942		7-0
8Wed 68:00 Seattle 79-55 McWilliams-Franklin (17) Wiggins (6) Whalen (5) Target Center
8,263		8-0
9Sat 98:00@ Tulsa 93-73 Moore (26) Brunson
McWilliams-Franklin (6)		 Whalen (10) BOK Center
5,113		9-0
10Fri 1510:00@ Phoenix 78-60 Whalen (29) Harris
Moore (7)		 Augustus
Wright (3)		 US Airways Center
7,394		10-0
11Sun 179:00@ Seattle 62-65 Moore (14) Brunson (11) Brunson
McWilliams-Franklin
Whalen (4)		 KeyArena
8,349		10-1
12Thu 218:00 New York 102-70 Augustus (26) Brunson
Moore (10)		 Augustus (8) Target Center
9,050		11-1
13Sat 2312:30 Chicago ESPN 79-67 Whalen (25) Brunson (7) Whalen (8) Target Center
9,267		12-1
14Wed 278:00 Phoenix FS-N 96-80 Augustus
Brunson (16)		 Brunson (13) Moore
Whalen (6)		 Target Center
9,674		13-1
July (2–3)
GameDateTime (ET)OpponentTVScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation/AttendanceRecord
15Sun 13:00@ San Antonio 84-93 Wright (18) Brunson (10) Brunson (4) AT&T Center
6,568		13-2
16Thu 53:00@ Los Angeles NBATV
TWC101 		90-96 Augustus (18) Brunson
McWilliams-Franklin (9)		 McWilliams-Franklin (6) Staples Center
11,256		13-3
17Sat 78:00 Connecticut FS-N
CPTV-S 		80-86 Moore (19) Brunson
McWilliams-Franklin (8)		 Whalen (5) Target Center
10,882		13-4
18Tue 1012:30@ Tulsa 107-86 Wiggins (25) McWilliams-Franklin (8) Whalen (7) BOK Center
6,012		14-4
19Thu 1212:00 Tulsa FS-N 89-72 Moore (28) McWilliams-Franklin (12) Whalen (8) Target Center
15,318		15-4
Summer Olympic break
August (6–0)
GameDateTime (ET)OpponentTVScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation/AttendanceRecord
Summer Olympic break
20Fri 178:00 Washington NBATV 98-69 Augustus (20) Brunson (7) Whalen (9) Target Center
10,933		16-4
21Sun 197:00 Tulsa 83-59 Moore (22) Moore (10) Moore (6) Target Center
10,223		17-4
22Tue 2110:00@ Seattle ESPN2 86-73 Augustus (22) Brunson (14) Whalen (9) KeyArena
6,169		18-4
23Sat 257:00@ Atlanta ESPN2 84-74 Augustus (23) Brunson (13) Whalen (8) Philips Arena
7,224		19-4
24Tue 288:00 San Antonio NBATV 96-84 (OT) Augustus
McWilliams-Franklin (19)		 Brunson (20) Whalen (8) Target Center
8,532		20-4
25Fri 318:00 Tulsa NBATV 92-83 Brunson
Moore
Whalen (19)		 Brunson (11) Moore (8) Target Center
9,213		21-4
September (6-3)
GameDateTime (ET)OpponentTVScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation/AttendanceRecord
26Tue 48:00 Los Angeles NBATV 88-77 Augustus
Moore (23)		 Moore (9) McWilliams-Franklin (5) Target Center
8,123		22-4
27Fri 78:00 Atlanta FS-N
SSO 		97-93 (2OT) Moore (23) Brunson (18) Whalen (5) Target Center
9,308		23-4
28Sun 93:00@ San Antonio NBATV 81-62 Moore (18) Brunson
Moore (12)		 Moore (6) AT&T Center
6,025		24-4
29Tue 118:00@ Chicago CN100 70-83 Moore (18) Brunson
Wright (5)		 Moore (7) Allstate Arena
4,296		24-5
30Fri 147:00@ Indiana 66-64 Moore (15) Moore (7) Moore (5) Bankers Life Fieldhouse
8,819		25-5
31Mon 178:00 Indiana NBATV
FS-N
FS-I 		86-79 Moore (29) Whalen (8) Whalen (6) Target Center
9,523		26-5
32Thu 2010:30@ Los Angeles NBATV
TWC101 		76-92 Wright (19) Peters (13) Thorn (5) Staples Center
10,217		26-6
33Fri 2110:00@ Phoenix NBATV
FS-N 		89-66 Moore (21) Peters (9) Peters (6) US Airways Center
7,217		27-6
34Sun 233:00@ San Antonio 84-99 Augustus (18) Peters (10) Whalen (5) AT&T Center
8,084		27-7
All games are viewable on WNBA LiveAccess or ESPN3.com

Postseason

2012 Game Log: Postseason
Western Conference Semifinals
GameDateTime (ET)OpponentTVScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation/AttendanceSeries
1September 289:00 Seattle ESPN2 78-70 Whalen (20) Brunson (11) Whalen (6) Target Center
9,213		1-0
2September 309:00 @ Seattle ESPN 79-86 (2OT) Brunson (20) Brunson(15) Whalen (5) KeyArena
8,479		1-1
3October 29:00 Seattle ESPN2 73-72 Augustus (21) Brunson (9) McWilliams-Franklin (4) Target Center
8,023		2-1
Western Conference Finals
GameDateTime (ET)OpponentTVScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation/AttendanceSeries
1October 48:00 Los Angeles ESPN2 94-77 Moore (20) Brunson (10) Augustus (7) Target Center
8,513		1-0
2October 73:30@ Los Angeles ABC 80-79 Augustus (21) Brunson (10) McWilliams-Franklin
Whalen (5)		 Staples Center
10,791		2-0
WNBA Finals
GameDateTime (ET)OpponentTVScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation/AttendanceSeries
1October 148:00 Indiana ESPN2 70-76 Augustus (23) Brunson
Moore (10)		 Whalen (4) Target Center
14,322		0-1
2October 178:00 Indiana ESPN 83-71 Augustus (27) Brunson (7) McWilliams-Franklin
Moore
Whalen (4)		 Target Center
13,478		1-1
3October 198:00@ Indiana ESPN2 59-76 Brunson (12) Brunson (9) Wiggins (3) Bankers Life Fieldhouse
18,165		1-2
4October 218:00@ Indiana ESPN2 78-87 Whalen (22) Augustus (7) Whalen (8) Bankers Life Fieldhouse
15,213		1-3

Statistics

Legend
  GPGames played  GS Games started MPG Minutes per game RPG  Rebounds per game
 APG  Assists per game SPG  Steals per game BPG  Blocks per game PPG Points per game
 FG%  Field-goal percentage 3P%  3-point field-goal percentage FT%  Free-throw percentage TO  Turnovers per game
 PF  Fouls per gameTeam leaderLeague leader

Regular season

PlayerGPGSMPGFG%3P%FT%RPGAPGSPGBPGPPG
Jessica Adair 1908.8.351.000.5712.100.30.300.212.4
Seimone Augustus 292928.5.491.437.8523.602.50.930.2116.6
Rebekkah Brunson 313127.0.505.000.6798.901.21.190.9411.4
Amber Harris 2708.9.404.389.6821.900.60.330.483.5
Taj McWilliams-Franklin 333326.6.519.400.7505.402.51.031.398.4
Maya Moore 343429.7.465.388.8796.003.61.470.6516.4
Devereaux Peters 30214.1.560.000.7063.801.10.470.775.3
Erin Thorn 2607.5.362.3531.0000.900.90.150.002.0
Lindsay Whalen 333327.0.505.500.7274.205.40.700.1811.5
Candice Wiggins 34121.8.360.397.8652.102.00.710.126.8
Julie Wojta 104.0.000.000.0002.000.00.000.000.0
Monica Wright 34719.4.458.364.7402.401.91.030.188.6

Awards and honors

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References

  1. ↑ Minnesota-Phoenix Archived 2013-03-05 at the Wayback Machine
  2. ↑ "Lynx beat Shock 83-59, clinch playoff berth". Archived from the original on August 20, 2012. Retrieved August 20, 2012.
  3. ↑ "Minnesota 97, Atlanta 93 (2OT)". Archived from the original on September 5, 2012. Retrieved September 8, 2012.
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