The Minnesota Lynx rushed out to another big lead Friday night. And every time the Phoenix Mercury began to chip away, Maya Moore pushed them aside.

Moore scored 26 points, all in the first three quarters, and the defending WNBA champion Lynx beat the Mercury 96-86 on Friday night to take a 2-0 lead in the semifinal series.

Coming off a record-setting 113-point outburst in Game 1, Minnesota shot 61 percent in the first quarter and took a 35-24 lead. Moore scored 12 points in a three-minute flurry to close the quarter.

“She’s a very difficult person to guard because you can’t necessarily script what she’s going to do,” said Minnesota’s Cheryl Reeve, honored as the WNBA coach of the year Friday. “Maya’s got a good feel for the game in terms of moving without the basketball.”