MINNEAPOLIS — Seimone Augustus set a career high in assists this season, thanks in large part to teammate Sylvia Fowles’ emergence as an MVP candidate.

Her grandmother had a simple request for her as the playoffs began — “shoot the (expletive) ball,” Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve recounted.

Augustus scored 24 points and Fowles added 18 to help the Minnesota Lynx roll to a 101-81 victory over the Washington Mystics in Game 1 of the WNBA semifinals on Tuesday night.

Augustus made 11 of 17 shots and the Lynx looked plenty sharp after a week off and playing in an unfamiliar arena. The Lynx will play all of their playoff games at the University of Minnesota’s Williams Arena after playing the regular season at Xcel Energy Center, home of the Minnesota Wild.

“I’ve been hearing it all week in practice from coach,” Augustus said. “So it completed my week to hear my grandmother call and say, ‘Shoot the ball, please.’ OK Granny.”

Elena Delle Donne had 17 points for the Mystics, who had a quick turnaround after beating the Liberty in New York on Sunday. After setting a playoff record with nine 3-pointers in the victory over New York on Sunday, Mystics guard Kristi Toliver scored just three points on 1-for-7 shooting.