ssing and running. Look for of the same wi

LOS ANGELES -- The Minnesota Lynx were frustrated with getting behind early and playing catch-up throughout Fridays Game 3 loss to Los Angeles in the WNBA Finals. That forces them into a must-win situation Sunday, when theyll have to beat the Sparks here at Staples Center in order to send the series back to Minnesota for a decisive Game 5.But being a sports fan, as well as a coach, Minnesotas Cheryl Reeve actually does understand why this series has had such momentum shifts. That tends to happen when two really, really good teams face off.Sometimes youll say, Oh, we didnt play hard enough, Reeve said. I told these guys, Im not killing us about our effort, but it just wasnt good enough to win a WNBA Finals game on the road.When we decided in Game 2 what was going to happen, its not like L.A. didnt try. And its not like we didnt try last night.However, the Lynx just didnt play throughout the entirety of Fridays game with the kind of urgency that they needed to.If we dont bring it [Sunday], we know whats going to happen, Minnesota guard Lindsay Whalen said. When you put yourself in a hornets nest like we did [Friday], its tough. If defense has been your calling card and your backbone for all these years, and it isnt at a high level, it hurts.Its now do-or-die for us. We have another chance to come out and do what we need to do. We built this thing on a lot of hard work; the Lynx werent always at this level. So I think that mentality is in us, but we have to come out here and do it.Whalen had 11 points in Fridays loss, in which post players Sylvia Fowles and Rebekkah Brunson led the way with 14 points each. The glaring stat offensively was star forward Maya Moores nine points.She averaged 19.3 points per game during the regular season, and her scoring has trended upward in the past month-plus. In her last seven games of the regular season, she averaged 21.6 PPG, and in the Lynxs five playoff games before Friday, her scoring average was 23.2.Moore got just seven shots in Game 3, making four, and went to the free throw line just once. But like the rest of the Lynx, Moore thought that the teams slow start and its lethargy, at times, on defense were the two biggest problems.The start of Game 4 will be so intense, just as it should be in the Finals, Moore said. We have to continue to find a way to lock in defensively, despite some offensive struggles. The heart of who we are is being a great defensive team.In the WNBA Finals, the smallest details separate winning from losing. In a series like this, some of those details can have explosive results for both teams.There were moments Friday when then Lynx just didnt look like themselves. The Sparks flat-out grabbed the ball away from them a few times, and Minnesota was slow to get back defensively on a few of Los Angeles transition scores.Last year, when the Lynx won a five-game WNBA Finals series against Indiana, they took Game 3 on Moores buzzer-beater but then were not as aggressive as they wanted to be in Game 4. That sent the series to a Game 5 which the Lynx dominated at home at Target Center.Minnesota has been on an incredible run since winning its first WNBA title in 2011. During that stretch though, they havent been in a must-win situation on the road during the playoffs very often. This is just the third time, in fact, and they lost the other two: Game 4 of the 2012 WNBA Finals vs. Indiana and Game 3 of the 2014 Western Conference finals against Phoenix.The Lynx had the best regular-season record (28-6) and the No. 1 seed. They are trying to tie the Houston Comets with four titles and become the first WNBA team to win back-to-back championships since Los Angeles did it in 2001 and 2002. But to keep hope alive for all of that, they may have to play their best game of this series on Sunday.We just werent as ready as we needed to be [Friday], and that shouldnt happen in the playoffs, Fowles said. We watched some film, and you can see things so much clearer than what you thought it was when you were on court.We cant look at it with a negative attitude, though. Just be positive from here on out. We looked at the things we didnt do well, and we know theyre correctable. Cheap Jerseys 2020 . On Saturday night, the normally free throw-challenged centre did just that. Howard scored 18 of his 25 points in the fourth quarter, including 13 of 19 free throws in a 2 1/2-minute stretch, and the Houston Rockets beat the Denver Nuggets 122-111. NFL Jerseys Wholesale . Clarkson had been dealing with an elbow injury in early January and will be out of action for at least one week. He has three goals and five assists through 36 games with the Leafs this season. https://www.nfljerseys2020.com/ . Still, Brewers manager Ron Roenicke thought taking him out before the fifth inning was an unusual move. "Im looking up at the board and hes got two hits given up and one run, and Im taking him out after the fourth inning," Roenicke said. NFL Jerseys 2020 Paypal . Isner, ranked No. 14, won his eighth career singles title and took the title in New Zealand for the second time after his victory in 2010. The match was similar to Isners quarterfinal victory over fifth-seeded Philipp Kohlschreiber which went to three sets, all tiebreaks and contained no breaks of serve. Wholesale NFL Jerseys 2020 . Oaklands loss to Seattle clinched the ALs best record for the Red Sox with one day to spare in the regular season. "I think everybody was kind of watching," catcher David Ross said. "Demp (Ryan Dempster) came out before he went to the bullpen and was just yelling that they lost. AUSTIN, Texas -- Texas started the season with a stunner. The Longhorns unveiled their new offense, found their quarterback(s) and eased some of the pressure on coach Charlie Strong.They also leaped back into the Top 25 for the first time in three years following the overtime win against Notre Dame.The No. 11 Longhorns (1-0) want to keep that momentum going at home Saturday night against UTEP (1-0) when a stumble would be a disaster.One game does not make a season, said Strong, who is in a pivotal year after consecutive losing season. We know that were still rebuilding.But one game can sure give a team a boost. Freshman quarterback Shane Buechele and his senior backup Tyrone Swoopes delivered the biggest plays and answered the biggest question heading into this season. Buechele passed for two touchdowns and ran for another against Notre Dame and Swoopes ran for three touchdowns, including the winning score in overtime.The Miners will be trying to spoil all this fun, but it will take a pretty big punch up in class to do it. And UTEP will be starting backup quarterback Kavika Johnson. Regular starter Zach Greenlee strained a knee ligament in a 38-22 season-opening win over New Mexico State.Ill be honest, well probably have to play a perfect game for us to beat this team, UTEP coach Sean Kugler said. Theres not a single kid in our program that even probably got a recruiting letter from the University of Texas.Some things to look for when the Longhorns and Miners kick off Saturday night:DYNAMIC DUOThe Miners have quite a pair in twin brothers Aaron and Alvin Jonnes.dddddddddddd Aaron is the nations leading rusher with 249 yards in the first game against New Mexico State. It was an impressive return after missing most of 2015 with an injury. Alvin is a starting linebacker and had 12 tackles in the first game. He led the Miners with 93 tackles and 6 + sacks last season.TEXAS QUARTERBACKSBuechele and Swoopes got Texas fans excited about the potential of coordinator Sterlin Gilberts offense with their 1-2 punch of passing and running. Look for of the same with Buechele throwing deep and Swoopes running the 18-Wheeler package as a change of pace.Swoopes, a former starter, had been harshly criticized by Texas fans over the past two season. He said he wont get back on social media to see what people are saying about him now.I know just as fast everybody can lift me up, they can put you back down, Swoopes said.MINER ADJUSTMENTSAaron Jones is the catalyst in the offense but the loss of Greenlee could have a huge impact if limits the Miners ability to keep the Longhorns from packing the line of scrimmage. Johnson took a few snaps last week in a wildcat formation, rushing for 15 yards with one incomplete pass. He also caught two passes for 26 yards.TEXAS DEPTHThe Longhorns played 10 freshmen in their season and the number could go higher this week as Strong continues to try to build depth before the Big 12 portion of the schedule. Texas has 25 sophomores and freshmen on their two-deep depth chart. ' ' '