Napheesa Collier scored 34 factors, spoiling the WNBA debut of fellow UConn alum Paige Bueckers and main the Minnesota Lynx to a 99-84 victory over the Dallas Wings within the season opener for each groups Friday evening.
Bueckers scored the primary factors of the season for the Wings, and the No. 1 total choose on this 12 months’s draft completed with 10 in entrance of an introduced sellout on the 7,000-seat enviornment on the campus of Texas-Arlington.
Collier began a 13-1 run halfway by way of the third quarter with a bucket in shut and completed it with a free throw for a 71-58 lead for the Lynx, who misplaced to the New York Liberty within the WNBA Finals final 12 months.
Courtney Williams had 25 factors and 9 assists and Jessica Shepard had 15 factors and eight rebounds for Minnesota.
All-Star guard Arike Ogunbowale led Dallas with 16 factors. DiJonai Carrington, acquired from the Connecticut Solar in an offseason commerce as a part of a roster overhaul after the Wings missed the playoffs in 2024, added 15 factors.
Bueckers opened the scoring when she drove the lane after a nifty crossover transfer, missed the runner, grabbed the rebound and hit the putback. Her first help got here on a 3-pointer by Carrington that put Dallas up 51-50 within the second half.
A foul-filled first half included one on Bueckers when she received caught enjoying publish protection in opposition to Collier. Earlier than Collier made each free throws after a timeout, she and Bueckers had a pleasant chat on the line.
The groups mixed for 30 free throws earlier than halftime, when the sport was tied at 46 after Ogunbowale made two free throws with 4 seconds left and Carrington stole the inbound move earlier than feeding Maddy Siegrist for a layup with 1.2 seconds remaining.
Bueckers missed each of her 3-point makes an attempt and was 3-of-10 taking pictures with seven rebounds and two assists.
Reporting by The Related Press.
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