Nneka Ogwunmike’s tip-in with 7.9 seconds to play spoiled a celebration for the Minnesota Lynx on Sunday night, giving the Los Angeles Sparks an 85-83 victory on the same night Seimone Augustus’s No. 33 jersey was raised to the Target Center rafters.
Augustus was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2006 WNBA Draft and went on to become one of the greatest players in league history. She spent 14 seasons with the Lynx and was an eight-time All-Star and six-time All-WNBA selection and also ranks first in franchise history and 12th in WNBA history with 5,881 points.
Her biggest contribution, however was to the Lynx’s championship dynasty in the 2010s. Augustus was a pillar for all four of Minnesota’s titles and was the 2011 Finals MVP thanks to a 36-point performance in a Game 2 victory over the Atlanta Dream.
She is now the second player in franchise history to have her number retired, joining Lindsay Whalen, who had her No. 13 jersey retired in 2019.
While the night was designed as a celebration, the Sparks were not in a partying mood. Chennedy Carter led Los Angeles with 20 points on the night and helped L.A. build a 17-point lead in the first quarter.
The Lynx battled back behind 19 points from Kayla McBride and even tied the game on Rachel Banham’s jumper with 20 seconds to play, but Ogwukmike’s put the Sparks ahead for good in a game where they never trailed.
Minnesota will look to rebound on Wednesday night when they travel to Atlanta to take on the dream.
