2016 Minnesota Lynx season

The 2016 WNBA season of the Minnesota Lynx was the 18th season in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). The Lynx were the defending WNBA champions.[1] Their 2016 roster included five competitors in the 2016 Rio Olympics (Maya Moore, Lindsay Whalen, Sylvia Fowles, and Seimone Augustus of the U.S. squad and Anna Cruz of the Spanish team) as well as seven current or previous all-stars (Moore, Whalen, Fowles, Augustus, Rebekkah Brunson, Jia Perkins and Renee Montgomery) with 22 total past selections to the all-star game between them.

2016 Minnesota Lynx season
CoachCheryl Reeve
ArenaTarget Center
Attendance9,266 per game
Results
Record28–6 (.824)
Place1st (Western)
Playoff finishLost 2016 WNBA Finals 2–3 to Los Angeles
Team Leaders
PointsMaya Moore – 19.3 ppg
ReboundsSylvia Fowles – 8.5 rpg
AssistsMaya Moore – 4.2 ppg
Media
TelevisionESPN

The Lynx started the season well, winning all six of their games in August. The closest game of the run was a three-point home win over Indiana on May 27. The Lynx carried their momentum into June and won their first seven games of the month to extend their winning streak to thirteen games. Los Angeles ended their winning streak on June 24 despite the Lynx having beaten Los Angeles three nights before. The Lynx lost the next two games, including an overtime game against New York to end June 7–3. The team won the first two games of July before losing to Connecticut by four-points on July 7. The Lynx then won their next six games in a row to finish July 8–1 and head into the Olympic break with an overall record of 21–4. They lost again by four points to Connecticut upon their return from the Olympic break, but re-gained their winning ways with a twelve-point win over Seattle. They extended their winning streak to five games before losing at Chicago in overtime. They won their last two games of the season to finish 28–6.

The Lynx' record of 28–6 earned them the first seed in the 2016 WNBA Playoffs. As the first seed, they received a bye to the semifinals where they matched-up against Phoenix. Minnesota won the first two games at home eighteen points and ten points. They dominated game three on the road, winning by fifteen points to win the series 3-0. Minnesota advanced to the WNBA Finals where they matched-up with Los Angeles. The Lynx were unable to win game one at home, losing by just two points. They rebounded with a nineteen point win in game two and evened the series as it moved to Los Angeles. The Lynx lost game three by seventeen points, but staved off elimination in game four, winning by six points. The deciding game five was in Minnesota, but home court advantage was not enough for the Lynx to repeat as champions. The Lynx lost the game by one-point on a last second shot.[2]

Transactions

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WNBA draft

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The Lynx made three selections in the 2016 WNBA Entry Draft in Uncasville, Connecticut:

Round Pick Player Nationality WNBA Team School/Team/Country
2 14 Jazmon Gwathmey   United States Minnesota Lynx[nb 1] (then traded to San Antonio)[3] James Madison
2 22 Bashaara Graves   United States Minnesota Lynx[nb 2] Tennessee
3 35 Temi Fagbenle   United Kingdom Minnesota Lynx USC

Trades and roster changes

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Date Trade
February 2 Re-signed Sylvia Fowles[4]
The Lynx acquired Natasha Howard from the Indiana Fever in exchange for Devereaux Peters[5]
Signed Renee Montgomery[6]
April 14 The Lynx acquired the rights to Jazmon Gwathmey from the San Antonio Stars in exchange for Jia Perkins[7]

Roster

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Minnesota Lynx roster
Players Coaches
Pos. # Nat. Name Height Weight DOB From Yrs
G/F 33   Augustus, Seimone 6' 0" (1.83m) 169 lb (77kg) 04-30-1984 LSU 11
F 32   Brunson, Rebekkah 6' 2" (1.88m) 185 lb (84kg) 12-11-1981 Georgetown 13
G 51   Cruz, Anna 5' 9" (1.75m) 136 lb (62kg) 10-27-1986 Spain 3
C 34   Fowles, Sylvia 6' 6" (1.98m) 212 lb (96kg) 10-06-1985 LSU 9
F 24   Hampton, Keisha 6' 1" (1.85m) 171 lb (78kg) 02-22-1990 DePaul R
F 3   Howard, Natasha 6' 2" (1.88m) 171 lb (78kg) 09-02-1991 Florida State 2
F/C 4   McCarville, Janel 6' 2" (1.88m) 218 lb (99kg) 11-03-1982 Minnesota 11
G 21   Montgomery, Renee 5' 7" (1.7m) 143 lb (65kg) 12-02-1986 Connecticut 8
F 23   Moore, Maya 6' 0" (1.83m) 178 lb (81kg) 06-11-1989 Connecticut 6
G 7   Perkins, Jia 5' 8" (1.73m) 168 lb (76kg) 02-23-1982 Texas Tech 13
G 13   Whalen, Lindsay 5' 9" (1.75m) 166 lb (75kg) 05-09-1982 Minnesota 13
Head coach
  Cheryl Reeve (La Salle)
Assistant coaches
  Shelley Patterson (Washington State)
  Jim Petersen (Minnesota)
Athletic trainer
  Chuck Barta (Wisconsin-La Crosse)
Assistant trainer
  Kate Taber (Iowa)

Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (FA) Free agent
  • (IN) Inactive
  • (S) Suspended
  •   Injured

Game log

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Preseason

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2016 pre-season game log
Total: 1–1 (Home: 0–1; Road: 1–0)
Pre-season: 1–1 (Home: 0–1; Road: 1–0)
Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location
Attendance
Record
1 May 5 @ New York W 77–74 Renee Montgomery (17) Courtney Clements (5) 6 players (2) Levien Gymnasium
1,028
1–0
2 May 8 Washington L 68–85 Keisha Hampton (15) Natasha Howard (6) Moore, Montgomery (4) Mayo Civic Center
4,524
1–1
2016 season schedule

Regular season

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2016 game log
Total: 28–6 (Home: 15–2; Road: 13–4)
May: 6–0 (Home: 2–0; Road: 4–0)
Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location
Attendance
Record
1 May 14 Phoenix W 95–76 Maya Moore (27) Sylvia Fowles (14) Maya Moore (10) Target Center
9,221
1–0
2 May 18 @ Chicago W 97–80 Sylvia Fowles (24) Sylvia Fowles (13) Augustus, Moore (6) Allstate Arena
5,034
2–0
3 May 22 Seattle W 78–71 Maya Moore (17) Maya Moore (9) Maya Moore (4) KeyArena
9,686
3–0
4 May 25 @ Phoenix W 85–78 Maya Moore (34) Rebekkah Brunson (10) Lindsay Whalen (7) Talking Stick Resort Arena
9,368
4–0
5 May 27 Indiana W 74–71 Augustus, Whalen (12) Janel McCarville (9) Maya Moore (8) Target Center
7,503
5–0
6 May 31 @ New York W 79–69 Maya Moore (25) Rebekkah Brunson (7) Renee Montgomery (4) Madison Square Garden
7,356
6–0
June : 7–3 (Home: 3–2; Road: 4–1)
Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location
Attendance
Record
7 June 4 Dallas W 80–63 Sylvia Fowles (16) Rebekkah Brunson (8) Lindsay Whalen (8) Target Center
7,634
7–0
8 June 7 Phoenix W 89–81 Fowles, Moore (21) Rebekkah Brunson (9) Brunson, Montgomery, Moore (4) Target Center
7,207
8–0
9 June 10 @ Atlanta W 110–78 Maya Moore (19) Sylvia Fowles (11) Montgomery, Perkins (5) Philips Arena
5,368
9–0
10 June 11 @ Washington W 83–76 Seimone Augustus (21) Rebekkah Brunson (12) Maya Moore (5) Capital One Arena
7,751
10–0
11 June 14 Indiana W 87–63 Maya Moore (16) Fowles, Moore (8) Lindsay Whalen (6) Target Center
7,623
11–0
12 June 19 @ Seattle W 96–84 Maya Moore (18) Maya Moore (7) Renee Montgomery (10) KeyArena
5,749
12–0
13 June 21 @ Los Angeles W 72–69 Seimone Augustus (13) Sylvia Fowles (11) McCarville, Montgomery (4) Staples Center
9,112
13–0
14 June 24 Los Angeles L 76–94 Maya Moore (28) Sylvia Fowles (11) Maya Moore (4) Target Center
13,003
13–1
15 June 26 @ Washington L 63–87 Sylvia Fowles (13) Jia Perkins (6) Seimone Augustus (5) Capital One Arena
6,322
13–2
16 June 29 New York L 92–95 (OT) Maya Moore (24) Rebekkah Brunson (10) Rebekkah Brunson (5) Target Center
7,721
13–3
July : 8–1 (Home: 6–0; Road: 2–1)
Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location
Attendance
Record
17 July 2 San Antonio W 91–68 Natasha Howard (21) Rebekkah Brunson (12) Maya Moore (5) Target Center
7,534
14–3
18 July 5 Chicago W 87–82 Maya Moore (33) Rebekkah Brunson (8) Lindsay Whalen (4) Target Center
7,433
15–3
19 July 7 @ Connecticut L 89–93 Maya Moore (40) Maya Moore (8) Jia Perkins (6) Mohegan Sun Arena
6,739
15–4
20 July 9 Dallas W 93–56 Lindsay Wahlen (22) Sylvia Fowles (10) Maya Moore (7) Target Center
7,613
16–4
21 July 12 @ San Antonio W 81–57 Maya Moore (22) Sylvia Fowles (8) Maya Moore (7) AT&T Center
11,171
17–4
22 July 15 New York W 88–70 Seimone Augustus (20) Seimone Augustus (7) Lindsay Whalen (8) Target Center
8,123
18–4
23 July 17 @ Dallas W 98–97 (OT) Maya Moore (20) Sylvia Fowles (19) Maya Moore (6) College Park Center
5,752
19–4
24 July 20 Atlanta W 83–65 Seimone Augustus (19) Rebekkah Brunson (12) Seimone Augustus (5) Target Center
16,132
20–4
25 July 22 Seattle W 79–72 Maya Moore (21) Sylvia Fowles (12) Renee Montgomery (6) Target Center
12,124
21–4
August : 1–1 (Home: 1–0; Road: 0–1)
Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location
Attendance
Record
26 August 26 @ Connecticut L 80–84 Fowles, Whalen (16) Rebekkah Brunson (11) Moore, Whalen (3) Mohegan Sun Arena
7,381
21–5
27 August 28 Seattle W 92–80 Lindsay Whalen (24) Sylvia Fowles (11) Natasha Howard (4) Target Center
11,834
22–5
September : 6–1 (Home: 3–0; Road: 3–1)
Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location
Attendance
Record
28 September 2 Washington W 75–69 Maya Moore (27) Sylvia Fowles (17) McCarville, Whalen (4) Target Center
7,523
23–5
29 September 4 Connecticut W 93–79 Maya Moore (24) Sylvia Fowles (8) Lindsay Whalen (6) Target Center
7,632
24–5
30 September 6 @ Los Angeles W 77–74 Sylvia Fowles (21) Rebekkah Brunson (11) Fowles, Moore, Whalen (3) Staples Center
7,224
25–5
31 September 11 @ San Antonio W 81–76 Seimone Augustus (20) Rebekkah Brunson (11) Maya Moore (6) AT&T Center
5,705
26–5
32 September 13 @ Chicago L 97–98 (OT) Maya Moore (27) Fowles, Howard (7) Maya Moore (5) Allstate Arena
6,050
27–5
33 September 16 @ Indiana W 82–75 Maya Moore (15) Rebekkah Brunson (9) Cruz, Montgomery (4) Bankers Life Fieldhouse
8,663
27–6
34 September 17 Atlanta W 95–87 Sylvia Fowles (30) Natasha Howard (9) Maya Moore (8) Target Center
11,663
28–6
2016 season schedule

Playoffs

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2016 playoff game log
Total: 5–3 (Home: 3–2; Road: 2–1)
Semifinals vs. Phoenix
Won Series: 3–0
Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location
Attendance
Series
1 September 28 Phoenix W 113–95 Maya Moore (31) Sylvia Fowles (10) Augustus, Whalen (7) Xcel Energy Center
9,013
1–0
2 September 30 Phoenix W 96–86 Maya Moore (26) Rebekkah Brunson (11) Maya Moore (5) Xcel Energy Center
11,923
2–0
3 October 2 Phoenix W 82–67 Maya Moore (20) Rebekkah Brunson (9) Lindsay Whalen (5) US Airways Center
9,631
3–0
Finals vs. Los Angeles
Lost Series: 2–3
Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location
Attendance
Series
1 October 9 Los Angeles L 76–78 Fowles, Moore, Whalen (18) Sylvia Fowles (13) Lindsay Whalen (6) Target Center
12,113
0–1
2 October 11 Los Angeles W 79–60 Maya Moore (21) Sylvia Fowles (15) Sylvia Fowles (4) Target Center
12,832
1–1
3 October 14 @ Los Angeles L 75–92 Brunson, Fowles (14) Maya Moore (7) Maya Moore (5) Galen Center
8,093
1–2
4 October 16 @ Los Angeles W 85–79 Maya Moore (31) Sylvia Fowles (13) Augustus, Moore (5) Staples Center
12,885
2–2
5 October 20 Los Angeles L 76–77 Maya Moore (23) Brunson, Fowles (9) Maya Moore (11) Target Center
19,423
2–3
2016 playoff schedule

Standings

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Western Conference W L PCT GB Home Road Conf.
1 - Minnesota Lynx 28 6 .824 15–2 13–4 15–1
2 - Los Angeles Sparks 26 8 .765 2 14–3 12–5 11–5
7 - Seattle Storm 16 18 .471 12 10–7 6–11 7–9
8 - Phoenix Mercury 16 18 .471 12 11–6 5–12 6–10
e - Dallas Wings 11 23 .324 17 6–11 5–12 8–8
e - San Antonio Stars 7 27 .206 21 4–13 3–14 1–15

Playoffs

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The Lynx qualified for the 2016 playoffs, and, as the team with the best regular season record in the WNBA, received two automatic byes, advancing straight to the best-of-five semifinal against the eighth-seeded Phoenix Mercury. They swept the Mercury three games to none to advance to the 2016 WNBA Finals.

First round:
Single elimination
(Sept. 21)
Second round:
Single elimination
(Sept. 24 and 25)
Semifinals:
Best-of-five
(Sept. 28 – Oct. 6)
WNBA Finals:
Best-of-five
(Oct. 9 – 20)
1Minnesota Lynx1139682
3New York Liberty948Phoenix Mercury958667
5Indiana Fever788Phoenix Mercury1011Minnesota Lynx7679758576
8Phoenix Mercury892Los Angeles Sparks7860927977
2Los Angeles Sparks95996695
4Chicago Sky1084Chicago Sky75847075
6Atlanta Dream946Atlanta Dream98
7Seattle Storm85

Note: Teams re-seeded after second round and semi-finals.

Statistics

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Legend
  GP Games 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 game Team leader League leader

Regular season

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Player GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
Maya Moore 34 34 29.7 44.8% 40.4% 86.8% 5.1 4.2 1.6 0.7 19.3
Sylvia Fowles 34 34 28.5 59.5% 71.7% 8.5 1.2 1.3 1.8 13.9
Seimone Augustus 29 29 26.4 46.0% 33.3% 80.4% 2.9 2.4 0.5 0.4 11.2
Rebekkah Brunson 33 33 24.6 47.7% 0.0% 85.7% 7.3 1.8 0.9 0.3 7.4
Lindsay Whalen 32 32 24.6 51.3% 27.3% 89.2% 2.6 3.8 0.6 0.0 9.8
Jia Perkins 34 5 20.7 36.6% 22.8% 83.3% 2.6 1.3 0.9 0.2 6.4
Renee Montgomery 34 2 19.3 39.7% 32.1% 82.8% 0.9 2.8 1.0 0.1 7.5
Natasha Howard 34 1 14.6 57.4% 20.0% 67.7% 3.6 0.8 0.7 0.7 6.7
Janel McCarville 33 0 12.6 45.7% 18.2% 60.0% 2.5 1.6 0.6 0.3 3.3
Anna Cruz 6 0 10.0 45.5 100% 100% 1.0 2.0 0.3 0.0 2.8
Keisha Hampton 27 0 6.8 33.3% 33.3% 87.0% 0.4 0.4 0.3 0.1 2.6
Bashaara Graves 12 0 3.4 28.6% 0.3 0.2 0.0 0.0 0.3

Playoffs

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Player GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
Maya Moore 8 8 32.9 51.7% 38.7% 93.5% 7.3 4.6 1.9 0.5 22.4
Lindsay Whalen 8 8 26.6 56.9% 42.9% 83.3% 1.9 3.9 0.4 0.1 13.1
Sylvia Fowles 8 8 31.4 61.1% 75.0% 9.8 1.3 0.9 1.8 12.9
Seimone Augustus 8 8 26.9 39.3% 25.0% 87.0% 2.9 3.3 0.9 0.3 11.1
Rebekkah Brunson 8 8 29.3 47.3% 79.2% 6.5 2.5 1.3 0.6 8.9
Natasha Howard 8 0 13.0 70.0% 42.9% 2.6 0.6 0.9 0.1 5.6
Jia Perkins 8 0 17.6 39.0% 10.0% 100% 2.0 1.9 1.0 0.1 5.1
Renee Montgomery 8 0 12.6 37.0% 44.4% 90.0% 0.4 0.9 0.5 0.0 4.1
Keisha Hampton 4 0 2.0 50.0% 33.3% 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 1.3
Anna Cruz 6 0 8.5 20.0% 50.0% 1.0 1.2 0.3 0.0 1.2
Janel McCarville 4 0 4.8 40.0% 1.0 0.3 0.0 0.0 1.0

Awards

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Recipient Award Date awarded Ref.
Maya Moore All-WNBA First Team October 14, 2016 [8]
Western Conference Player of the Month - August September 1, 2016 [9]
Western Conference Player of the Month - May June 1, 2016
Western Conference Player of the Week July 11, 2016
June 6, 2016
May 23, 2016
Sylvia Fowles Defensive Player of the Year Award September 30, 2016 [10]
All-Defensive First Team
All-WNBA Second Team October 14, 2016 [8]
Cheryl Reeve Coach of the Year Award September 30, 2016 [11]

References

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  1. ^ "2015 WNBA Playoffs". wnba.com. WNBA. Retrieved June 25, 2024.
  2. ^ "With 3.1 Seconds Left, Los Angeles Sparks Seize W.N.B.A. Title". The New York Times. October 21, 2016. Retrieved June 24, 2024.
  3. ^ "Lynx Acquire WNBA All-Star Jia Perkins From San Antonio - Minnesota Lynx". Minnesota Lynx. Retrieved April 15, 2016.
  4. ^ "Minnesota Lynx Re-Sign Center Sylvia Fowles". WNBA.com. WNBA. February 2, 2016. Retrieved June 25, 2024.
  5. ^ "Fever, Lynx Trade Natasha Howard, Devereaux Peters – WNBA.com – Official Site of the WNBA". WNBA.com – Official Site of the WNBA. Retrieved September 9, 2017.
  6. ^ "Minnesota Lynx Re-Sign Guard Renee Montgomery". WNBA.com. WNBA. February 2, 2016. Retrieved June 25, 2024.
  7. ^ "Stars Also Add Gwathmey and Martin on Draft Night". WNBA.com. Archived from the original on September 8, 2017. Retrieved August 5, 2016.
  8. ^ a b "2016 All-WNBA First and Second Teams Announced". wnba.com. WNBA. Retrieved July 5, 2022.
  9. ^ "WNBA Awards - Across the Timeline". acrossthetimeline.com. Retrieved June 27, 2024.
  10. ^ "Sylvia Fowles, Nneka Ogwumike Headline 2016 WNBA All-Defensive Team". wnba.com. WNBA. Retrieved July 5, 2022.
  11. ^ "Cheryl Reeve wins WNBA Coach of the Year". September 30, 2016. Archived from the original on October 3, 2016. Retrieved September 30, 2016.

Notes

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  1. ^ The Lynx received this pick and Renee Montgomery from Seattle in exchange for Monica Wright
  2. ^ The Lynx received this pick from Chicago
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