6:00 p.m., Levien Gymnasium at Columbia University

Minnesota will battle the New York Liberty tonight in a preseason matchup as the Lynx begin to prepare to defend their 2015 WNBA Championship this upcoming season.

The Lynx will be without both Seimone Augustus and Rebekkah Brunson, who are still playing overseas, but will debut some new faces like Jia Perkins, Bashaara Graves and Natasha Howard.

Here are some tidbits to keep in mind for tonight’s matchup:

– The Liberty traded for All-Star guard Shoni Schimmel from the Atlanta dream on Monday night, May 2nd, for only a 2017 second round draft pick. Schimmel will most likely make her debut against the Lynx this evening.

– Lindsay Whalen did not play overseas this offseason and decided to rest in order to get her body and mind ready for the upcoming season.

– With Minnesota having two starters still not back from playing overseas, look for guards Renee Montgomery and Perkins to get a lot of playing time and contribute heavily.

– Tina Charles, a four-time All-Star and member of the 2016 Women’s Olympic Basketball team, will play for the first time this season after missing Sunday’s game against the Sky.

Coming Off Of…

The Lynx were the only WNBA team to finish the 2015 postseason with a victory. Minnesota won their third Championship in five seasons and are hoping to pick up right where they left off last season.

Tonight will mark the final preseason game for the New York Liberty as they lost to the Chicago Sky on Sunday, May 1st, 93-59. New York’s first round draft pick, Adut Bulgak, had an impressive professional debut with 17 points and 12 rebounds. The Liberty struggled all night putting the ball in the hoop, shooting 32.3 percent from the field and 25 percent from beyond-the-arc.

Last Matchup:

Minnesota and New York last battled it out last season on Sept. 6th and it was the Liberty who walked out of the Target Center with the victory, 75-71.

Tanisha Wright, Epiphanny Prince and Tina Charles led the way for New York as the trio combined for 52 points and 20 rebounds.

The Lynx were without Whalen and Augustus, yet still managed to hang on until the very end of the game thanks to Maya Moore’s 23 points, and Sylvia Fowles 19 points and nine rebounds.

Key Matchup: Adut Bulgak vs. Sylvia Fowles

After filling the box score in her first professional game with a solid double-double, the rookie Bulgak will have her hands full tonight going against the bigger and stronger Fowles.

Fowles was a key reason why the Lynx were able to bring home a WNBA title last year, and after averaging 15.3 points and 8.3 rebounds last season, the 6’5 center is looking to have an even better year after a full training camp with Minnesota.

Projected Starters:

New York: G- Rodgers, G- Wright, F- Boyd, F- Charles, C- Swords

Minnesota: G- Whalen, G- Montgomery, F- Perkins, F – Moore, C- Fowles