Rookie Collier hits 27 as Lynx ease to win over Sky; Thomas scores 23 as Sun overcome short-handed Mystics
Wednesday 29 May 2019 07:43, UK
Defending champions Seattle Storm rallied back from being behind by double digits to open the new WNBA season with victory over the Phoenix Mercury.
Natasha Howard had 21 points and 16 rebounds and Jewell Loyd added 17 points for the Storm - who record a 77-68 win - and will play without reigning league MVP Breanna Stewart for the entire season as well as 11-time All-Star Sue Bird for a significant portion.
With Bird sitting on the bench and Stewart a few feet away in a protective boot, Seattle's two biggest stars were forced to be spectators and watched their team-mates outscore Phoenix 40-25 in the middle two quarters and hold off the best efforts of DeWanna Bonner to rally the Mercury.
Bonner scored 15 straight points for Phoenix late in the third quarter and early in the fourth to pull the Mercury within 58-57. That's as close as they would get as Seattle outscored Phoenix 19-11 over the final seven minutes.
Bonner finished with 31 points for the visitors, as the Mercury also started the season without a star player, with Diana Tarausi still recuperating from back surgery in late April.
Seattle's Jordin Canada, starting in place Bird, notched eight of her 16 points in the fourth quarter for Seattle as they sealed victory down the stretch.
Playing in one of two temporary home arenas while the arena at Seattle Center - formerly KeyArena - undergoes a complete renovation, Seattle received its championship rings as well as unveiling a championship banner with the three years it has won the league title, then got a sense of what it will take without Bird and Stewart on the floor.
Napheesa Collier scored 27 points, the second most in WNBA history by a rookie in her debut, and the new-look Minnesota Lynx pulled away from the Chicago Sky in the second half for an 89-71 win in the season-opener for both teams.
Collier, who was the sixth pick in the draft this year, was short of Candace Parker's record 34-point effort in her first game with the Los Angeles Sparks in 2008. The Lynx hardly missed star player Maya Moore, who is sitting out this season, as Collier hit eight of her 10 shots, including a trio of three-pointers. Minnesota is also adjusting to the retirement of long-time guard Lindsay Whalen, who will have her number retired later this season.
Veteran Sylvia Fowles added 16 points and 10 rebounds for the Lynx with Danielle Robinson scoring 13 points and Jessica Shepard grabbing 13 rebounds. Minnesota also had a 46-29 advantage on the boards which helped them ease to victory comfortably.
Collier overshadowed her former UConn teammate Katie Lou Samuelson, the fourth overall pick in the 2019 draft. Samuelson made her only shot and both her free throws to score four points off the bench for Chicago.
Gabby Williams and Kahleah Cooper had 11 points apiece for the Sky, who trailed by just six points at the half but were outscored 24-10 in the third quarter as the Lynx stretched away from their opponents.
Alyssa Thomas scored 23 points as the Connecticut Sun opened the season with a 84-69 win over the short-handed Washington Mystics.
Jonquel Jones also posted a double-double of 10 points and 14 rebounds for the Sun who went on a 13-2 run in the middle of the third quarter to take control.
Jasmine Thomas hit a jumper to make it 48-45 at the 7:34 mark. That started the game-changing run.
Washington was missing Elena Delle Donne, who sat out the opener with left knee soreness and were unable to mount any sore of comeback. The Sun led 67-53 after three quarters and by double figures throughout the fourth quarter.
Emma Meesseman, who has returned to the Mystics after playing in Belgium last season, scored 14 points. Natasha Cloud and Kristi Toliver, who got hurt in the game and sat out most of the second half with ice on her leg, added 11 apiece for the Mystics, who lost to Seattle in the WNBA Finals last season.
