BRADENTON, Fla. – 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.
The 2020 WNBA season, delayed and shortened by the coronavirus pandemic, will be played in a bubble at the IMG Academy in Florida.
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 3-pointer and, after the Sun’s Brionna Jones made a put-back layup to make it 65-all, Dangerfield made another 3 to give Minnesota the lead for good with 3:21 to play.
The Lynx missed their first 11 3-point shots before making four of their last six over the final 10-plus minutes.
*Courtesy Associated Press
