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Mercury-Lynx Preview

Jun 26, 2009 - 6:36 PM By KATE HEDLIN STATS Writer

Phoenix (6-3) at Minnesota (5-3), 8:00 p.m. EDT

With Seimone Augustus out for the season, the Minnesota Lynx are looking for someone to step up. After apparently breaking out of her slow start, they hope Candice Wiggins is ready to do just that.

Wiggins looks to follow up her best game of the season Saturday when the Lynx host the Phoenix Mercury.

Minnesota (5-3) opened the season with three straight wins and four victories in its first five games behind Augustus, who averaged 21.0 points in six contests before tearing the ACL in her left knee in a 104-80 loss at Phoenix (6-3) on June 17.

With Augustus sidelined, the Lynx looked to Wiggins - their second-leading scorer in 2008 at 15.7 points per game - to help lead them. Wiggins, though, came into Minnesota's most recent game averaging 8.5 points in her previous four contests.

Wiggins broke out Tuesday in a 69-57 home win over New York, scoring a season-high 25 points - 18 in the first half. Wiggins was 4 of 6 from 3-point range and also had five assists.

"Coach Jen (Gillom) said every player goes through slumps, I was like, 'no they don't,'" Wiggins said. "I missed a 1,000, 10,000 shots this season, but when that first shot goes in it's like, 'I'm back.'"

Improved defense also helped Minnesota. The Lynx had given up an average of 97.0 points in their previous two losses, including a season-high 104 to Phoenix, but they held the Liberty to 35.1 percent shooting and forced 20 turnovers.

"This is a crucial moment for us," Gillom said. "We needed this win tonight just to get that start and help these girls believe that we are a good team."

The Lynx are 3-1 at home, where they play four of their next five games, but putting together consecutive wins will be tough against a good Phoenix team.

The Mercury are coming off their first road win of the season, a 93-87 victory at Washington on Thursday. Cappie Pondexter scored 24 points and Diana Taurasi added 23 to help Phoenix hold off a late Washington rally. The Mystics pulled within two with 1:56 remaining, but missed their next four potential game-tying shots.

"Its always tough to win in Washington, so I think today we did a good job of staying in the game," Taurasi said. "At the end we made some plays to win and that's what it takes with two good teams."

Phoenix had lost its previous two games, but still owns one of the best records in the Western Conference, in large part because of its offense. The Mercury lead the league in scoring at 91.6 points, although they came into Thursday's contest having averaged 84.7 in their previous three games since the victory over the Lynx.

Taurasi scored 28 points, going 7 of 8 from 3-point range, in that June 17 win - Phoenix's third straight in this series.