SAN ANTONIO (AP) -Sophia Young scored 20 points, Ann Wauters added 14 points and 10 rebounds, and the San Antonio Silver Stars capitalized on Seimone Augustus' absence to beat the Minnesota Lynx, 73-65 on Saturday night.
With Augustus missing a game for the first time as a pro after 82 consecutive starts, the Silver Stars (9-6) broke a second-place tie with the Lynx (8-7) in the Western Conference. Augustus sprained her right big toe Thursday against Sacramento.
``That's a big hit; it's a huge hit,'' Silver Stars coach Dan Hughes said. ``It was much easier without Augustus - let's just be factual.''
Nicky Anosike scored 16 points for Minnesota, which had won two straight.
The Silver Stars, who had lost two straight, built a double-digit lead in the first quarter and led by as much as 16 points in the second half.
``They came out and set the tone early,'' Lynx coach Don Zierden said. ``We couldn't throw the ball into the basket. Maybe our young players were trying to press a little bit without Seimone.''
Minnesota outscored San Antonio 23-12 over a stretch of 10 minutes, cutting the lead to 59-54 with 5:30 left in the game on Anosike's two free throws. But the Silver Stars scored eight of the next 10 points.
Young and Wauters went a combined 16-of-32 from the floor, helping the Silver Stars to a 44-36 advantage in the paint. San Antonio had 23 assists on 30 baskets.
``We were working really well to play inside a lot,'' Young said. ``I think our guards did a good job of getting the ball to us.''
Without Augustus, the second-leading scorer in the WNBA last year and fourth this year, the Lynx were slow to get into their offense. Rookie guard Candice Wiggins missed her first eight shots until hitting an off-balance 15-footer 3:54 into the second half.
Wiggins, who finished with 15 points, and backcourt mate Anna DeForge combined to go 9-for-29. The Lynx shot 37 percent for the game compared to San Antonio's 46 percent.
``The shots just didn't fall for me,'' Wiggins said. ``They were shots I love to take. That's how it was.''
It didn't take long for San Antonio to get a comfortable lead. Minnesota turned the ball over on four of its first 10 trips down the floor and went 1-for-8 to start the game, and the Silver Stars led 11-2 5:43 into the game after Helen Darling hit a 3-pointer.
San Antonio led by as much as 12 points in the second quarter.
