By JEFF BARTL,
STATS Writer
The Minnesota Lynx knew their title defense wouldn't always go smoothly, so they're not about to panic after a couple of losses.
The Connecticut Sun don't plan to make things any easier.
Minnesota looks to avoid a three-game losing streak when it hosts Connecticut in a matchup of conference leaders Saturday night.
The Lynx (13-3) picked up right where they left off after winning the franchise's first championship last season, winning their first 10 games and dominating the majority of their opponents.
They've hit a bit of a bump lately, though, dropping two straight after falling 96-90 to Los Angeles on Thursday. Seimone Augustus scored 18 points for Minnesota, which trailed by 20 early in the fourth quarter but rallied to make the game tight down the stretch.
"We were starting to get more aggressive but it was just too late," said Maya Moore, who added 14 points. "We dug ourselves too big of a hole. We just couldn't find the rhythm and that attention we sort of needed on the defensive end."
The Lynx, owners of the league's best record, haven't lost three straight since a five-game skid July 17-29, 2010, but coach Cheryl Reeve expects her team to bounce back before the WNBA takes a month-long break for the Olympics beginning July 14.
"That's the No. 1 focus, (how) we're playing going into this break," Reeve told the team's official website. "I want to be playing some of our best basketball going into this break and take some momentum going into that thing. I think we've got to get that feeling of playing great basketball, and that gives us a bounce in our step."
Augustus scored a game-high 23 points in an 85-72 win June 1 at Connecticut, which is coming off an 86-75 win at league-worst Tulsa on Friday.
Tina Charles had averaged 10.7 points while shooting 28.3 percent as Connecticut lost two of its previous three games, but she scored 24 and hit 10 of 15 shots for the Sun (11-4) against the Shock.
Connecticut improved to 5-1 on the road despite Charles playing only five minutes in the first quarter due to foul trouble.
"She was good down the stretch," coach Mike Thibault said of Charles. "She really wanted the ball."
Charles is one of five players in Saturday's matchup who will represent Team USA in London. Sun teammate Asjha Jones, who had 14 points and 10 rebounds Friday, will join Augustus, Moore and Lindsay Whalen of the Lynx.
