Sunday wins for Minnesota Lynx and Atlanta Dream
Monday 27 July 2020 08:00, UK
Allie Quigley hit a three-pointer with 14.7 seconds to play as the Chicago Sky scored the final 11 points to beat the Las Vegas Aces 88-86 on Sunday.
Kahleah Copper scored 18 points, Allie Quigley hit a three-pointer with 14.7 seconds to play, and the Chicago Sky scored the final 11 points to beat the Las Vegas Aces 88-86 on Sunday in the season opener for both teams.
Gabby Williams had 14 points for Chicago, Azura Stevens added 12 and Quigley, whose three-pointer gave the Sky their first lead since midway through the second quarter, finished with 10.
Angel McCoughtry, who signed with the Aces as a free agent in February after missing all of last season with the Atlanta Dream due to a knee injury, scored 25 points and grabbed eight rebounds. A'ja Wilson had 22 points and 11 rebounds.
Dearica Hamby made a layup to give Las Vegas an 86-77 lead with 4:29 to play but the Aces went 0 for 10 from the field with three turnovers from there.
The Aces scored 10 straight points to open the second half and take a 58-46 lead. Chicago used a 10-3 spurt to make it 71-all when Quigley hit a three-pointer with 9:14 to play but McCoughtry answered with a three-point play and then a jumper before Jackie Young made a layup to push the lead back to seven.
Las Vegas is without three-time All-Star Liz Cambage (health concerns) and Kelsey Plum (Achilles tendon) for the season.
Sylvia Fowles had 17 points and 18 rebounds, Napheesa Collier scored nine of her 11 points in the final five minutes, and the Minnesota Lynx rallied from an 11-point second-half deficit to beat the Connecticut Sun 77-69 on Sunday in the season opener for both teams.
Shenise Johnson scored 13 points for Minnesota and rookie Crystal Dangerfield 10 in her WNBA debut.
Alyssa Thomas led Connecticut with 20 points, eight rebounds, four assists and four steals. DeWanna Bonner, a three-time All-Star who signed as a free agent this offseason, added 19 points, eight rebounds and three steals.
Collier hit a three-pointer and, after the Sun's Brionna Jones made a put-back layup to make it 65-all, Dangerfield made another three to give Minnesota the lead for good with 3:21 to play.
The Lynx missed their first 11 three-point shots before making four of their last six over the final 10-plus minutes.
Monique Billings had a career-high 30 points and grabbed 13 rebounds, rookie Chennedy Carter added 18 points and eight assists, and the Atlanta Dream beat the Dallas Wings 105-95 on Sunday in the season opener for both teams.
Betnijah Laney had a career-best 19 points, Elizabeth Williams added 17 and Shekinna Stricklen 16, including four three-pointers, for Atlanta.
Arike Ogunbowale and Allisha Gray led Dallas with 19 points apiece and Isabelle Harrison scored 18 and grabbed 11 rebounds.
Satou Sabally had 11 points, five rebounds, four assists and two steals. She was the No. 2 pick, in April's draft.
Atlanta shot 54.8 per cent and scored its most points since a 109-100 win over Las Vegas on August 9, 2018.
Billings made the first of two free throws to give the Dream their biggest lead of the game at 93-81 with 4:02 left. Ogunbowale scored six points in a 14-4 run over the next two and-a-half minutes to pull the Wings within two but Williams answered with a layup and Dallas got no closer.
