Mitchell Hansen
Web Editorial Associate
Twitter
The Minnesota Lynx began the 2017 season with a 70-61 win over the Chicago Sky on Sunday night at Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul.
Here are three observations from the first win of the season:
Fowles Dominant
One thing that Lynx head coach Cheryl Reeve talked about throughout training camp was that Sylvia Fowles has the potential to be a very dominant post player for Minnesota, but just needs to work on consistency.
On Sunday night, Fowles did just that, finishing a team-best 26 points and 10 rebounds. She also had four steals and three blocks in 31-plus minutes.
If she can consistently be that presence for the Lynx in the paint, she will add yet another dynamic to the team.
Defensive Effort
The Lynx did well defensively in the game against the Sky, holding Chicago to just 61 points.
Minnesota held Chicago to 35.3 percent shooting from the field, including 14.3 percent from three. The Lynx also finished with 11 steals and recorded four blocks.
Whenever you hold an opponent to just over 60 points in a game, you’re going to put yourself in a great position to come away with the win. That’s exactly what the Lynx did Sunday.
Former Lynx Players In Chicago
Two former Lynx players arrived back in Minnesota on Sunday night as members of the Sky.
Keisha Hampton and Amber Harris are both in their first seasons in Chicago.
Hampton, who played in Minnesota in 2016, started the game for the Sky, appearing in 15-plus minutes and was held scoreless.
Harris, who played in Minnesota from 2011-13, didn’t play in the game Sunday.
The Lynx are back in action on Thursday when they hit the road to take on the New York Liberty at 6 p.m. The game will be aired on ESPN2 and 106.1 BOB FM.