Mitchell Hansen
Web Editorial Associate
Twitter
6 p.m., Xcel Energy Center
Where to Watch: Fox Sports North
Where to Listen: 106.1 BOB FM
The 2017 regular season is finally here for the Minnesota Lynx.
The Lynx kick off the season on Sunday night against the Chicago Sky at Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul.
Here are a few tidbits entering Sunday’s game:
- The Lynx are coming off of an undefeated preseason (2-0), defeating Atlanta and Washington.
- Minnesota dominated in the two preseason games, outscoring its opponents by 30.5 points per game while averaging 93.5 points a contest.
- The Sky finished their preseason with a record of 1-1.
Coming Off Of…
Minnesota is coming off of a 74-59 preseason victory over the Washington Mystics last Monday in the nation’s capital.
Rebekkah Brunson had 14 points and seven rebounds to lead the Lynx. Sylvia Fowles and Natasha Howard had 11 points each, Temi Fagbenle had eight points and three rebounds, Alexis Jones had seven points and Shao Ting and Lindsay Whalen each had six points.
Chicago is coming off of an 86-75 preseason win over the New York Liberty on May 3.
Cappie Pondexter had 15 points and four rebounds to lead the Sky. Former Lynx guard Keisha Hampton had 12 points, Tori Jankoska and Tamera Young had 10 points each and Stefanie Dolson had eight points and three rebounds.
Last Matchup
Minnesota held a 2-1 season series advantage over Chicago last season. The last matchup came on September 13 in Illinois, with the Sky winning 98-97 in overtime.
In that game, Moore had 27 points and five assists to lead the Lynx. Fowles had 17 points and seven rebounds, Seimone Augustus had 17 points and three rebounds, and Anna Cruz and Brunson each had eight points for Minnesota.
For Chicago, Pondexter led the way with 24 points, four rebounds and four assists. Courtney Vandersloot had 18 points, Young had 16 points and Clarissa Dos Santos had 12 points and six rebounds.
Sunday’s game is the first of three meetings between the Lynx and Sky this season.
Key Matchup: Sylvia Fowles vs. Stefanie Dolson
A matchup to watch out for on Sunday night will come in the post between Minnesota’s Sylvia Fowles and Chicago’s Stefanie Dolson.
Last season, Fowles averaged 13.9 points (17th in the WNBA), 8.5 rebounds (fourth in the league), 1.2 assists, 1.8 blocks and 1.3 steals per game.
Dolson averaged 9.3 points, 4.7 rebounds, 1.1 assists and 0.9 blocks per game a season ago.
Injuries
Chicago: Jamierra Faulkner (torn ACL) is out.
Minnesota: No injuries to report.
Projected Starters
Chicago: PG – Pondexter, SG – Hampton, SF – Breland, PF – Boyette, C – Dolson
Minnesota: PG – Whalen, SG – Augustus, SF – Moore, PF – Brunson, C – Fowles