Lynx-Sun Preseason Preview
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LYNX vs. CONNECTICUT SUN, 11:00 A.M. CT, TARGET CENTER
The Minnesota Lynx kick off the preseason portion of their 10th Anniversary Season Thursday morning at Target Center by playing host to Lindsay Whalen and the Connecticut Sun in the first of three exhibition contests. Minnesota will travel to Indiana to battle the Fever on Wednesday, May 7, before concluding the preseason on Sunday, May 11, versus the Los Angeles Sparks. The Mother's Day tilt will be played at the University of North Dakota's Betty Engelstad Center, with Los Angeles serving as the home team. The Lynx went 1-1 against Connecticut last season, with both teams winning on their home floor. Lynx third-year guard Seimone Augusts tallied a game-high 28 points in Minnesota's 77-73 overtime win at Target Center on June 13, 2007. Nicole Ohlde contributed 18 points and eight rebounds in the four-point win. In the second game at Mohegan Sun Arena, Connecticut outscored the Lynx 45-39 in the first half and hung on for an 84-79 victory over Minnesota. Augustus led the way for the Lynx in the 2007 season-series, averaging 26 ppg. Connecticut ended last season at 18-16, good for third place in the WNBA's Eastern Conference. The Indiana Fever ousted the Sun in the first round of the WNBA 2007 Playoffs, defeating Connecticut 2-1 in the three-game series. The Lynx finished last season 10-24, but ended the season with a 3-4 record in August. Minnesota holds an all-time preseason record of 13-12. The Lynx open the 2008 regular-season schedule May 18 when they play host to the defending Eastern Conference champion Detroit Shock
Today's Probable Starters:
MINNESOTA LYNX
CONNECTICUT SUN
Five Keys to a Lynx Victory
1. Clamp down on the defensive end. The Lynx gave up on average 80.9 ppg last season, ranking them second worst in the WNBA. Last season Connecticut averaged 78.7 ppg, good for fourth best in the WNBA.
2. Develop an inside post presence. The Lynx sorely need someone to step up and fill the shoes of Nicole Ohlde and Tiffany Stansbury who are both away from the team fulfilling their overseas commitments. Minnesota ranked second-to-last in the WNBA in blocks this past season.
3. Score with out Seimone. Today the Lynx will start two returning members of last year's team, Navonda Moore and Shay Murphy. The two of them combined to score 6.3 ppg last season. As many as 11 rookies will take the floor for the Lynx, including their three 2008 draft picks, Candice Wiggins, Nicki Anosike and Charde Houston. The three young ladies, along with the rest of the first-year class will be looked up to shoulder a bulk of the scoring this afternoon.
4. Shoot the ball well. The Lynx shot a combined 40.8 percent from the floor in two games last season versus the Sun. The Lynx finished the 2007 season ninth in the WNBA in FG percentage, connecting on only 41.2 percent of their field-goal attempts.
5. Find some chemistry. Minnesota's roster features 13 newcomers to just eight returnees from last season's 10-24 squad. Of the eight familiar faces, four will not be available to the Lynx this afternoon due to their overseas pledges.
The Minnesota Lynx kick off the preseason portion of their 10th Anniversary Season Thursday morning at Target Center by playing host to Lindsay Whalen and the Connecticut Sun in the first of three exhibition contests. Minnesota will travel to Indiana to battle the Fever on Wednesday, May 7, before concluding the preseason on Sunday, May 11, versus the Los Angeles Sparks. The Mother's Day tilt will be played at the University of North Dakota's Betty Engelstad Center, with Los Angeles serving as the home team. The Lynx went 1-1 against Connecticut last season, with both teams winning on their home floor. Lynx third-year guard Seimone Augusts tallied a game-high 28 points in Minnesota's 77-73 overtime win at Target Center on June 13, 2007. Nicole Ohlde contributed 18 points and eight rebounds in the four-point win. In the second game at Mohegan Sun Arena, Connecticut outscored the Lynx 45-39 in the first half and hung on for an 84-79 victory over Minnesota. Augustus led the way for the Lynx in the 2007 season-series, averaging 26 ppg. Connecticut ended last season at 18-16, good for third place in the WNBA's Eastern Conference. The Indiana Fever ousted the Sun in the first round of the WNBA 2007 Playoffs, defeating Connecticut 2-1 in the three-game series. The Lynx finished last season 10-24, but ended the season with a 3-4 record in August. Minnesota holds an all-time preseason record of 13-12. The Lynx open the 2008 regular-season schedule May 18 when they play host to the defending Eastern Conference champion Detroit Shock
Today's Probable Starters:
MINNESOTA LYNX
Pos |
Player |
Ht. |
Wt. |
Birthdate |
College |
Yrs. |
PPG |
RPG |
APG |
G |
Brittney Vaughn |
5-6 |
150 |
07/30/1986 |
Arkansas |
R |
---- |
---- |
---- |
G |
Navonda Moore |
5-9 |
150 |
11/04/1984 |
Alabama |
1 |
1.1 |
0.8 |
0.2 |
F |
Eshaya Murphy |
5-11 |
160 |
04/15/1985 |
USC |
1 |
5.2 |
3.3 |
0.5 |
F |
Charde Houston |
5-11 |
190 |
04/10/1986 |
Connecticut |
R |
---- |
---- |
---- |
C |
Nicky Anosike |
6-2 |
210 |
02/27/1986 |
Tennessee |
R |
---- |
---- |
---- |
CONNECTICUT SUN
Pos |
Player |
Ht. |
Wt. |
Birthdate |
College |
Yrs. |
PPG |
RPG |
APG |
G |
Jamie Carey |
5-6 |
135 |
03/12/81 |
Texas |
3 |
3.4 |
0.9 |
0.9 |
G |
Kamesha Hairston |
6-0 |
150 |
08/15/85 |
Temple |
1 |
1.9 |
1.8 |
0.4 |
F |
Cori Chambers |
5-9 |
160 |
07/06/85 |
Georgia |
1 |
0.0 |
0.0 |
0.0 |
F |
Barabara Turner |
6-0 |
172 |
06/08/84 |
Connecticut |
2 |
4.2 |
1.9 |
0.9 |
C |
Tamika Raymond |
6-2 |
195 |
04/12/80 |
Connecticut |
6 |
1.5 |
1.9 |
0.3 |
Five Keys to a Lynx Victory
1. Clamp down on the defensive end. The Lynx gave up on average 80.9 ppg last season, ranking them second worst in the WNBA. Last season Connecticut averaged 78.7 ppg, good for fourth best in the WNBA.
2. Develop an inside post presence. The Lynx sorely need someone to step up and fill the shoes of Nicole Ohlde and Tiffany Stansbury who are both away from the team fulfilling their overseas commitments. Minnesota ranked second-to-last in the WNBA in blocks this past season.
3. Score with out Seimone. Today the Lynx will start two returning members of last year's team, Navonda Moore and Shay Murphy. The two of them combined to score 6.3 ppg last season. As many as 11 rookies will take the floor for the Lynx, including their three 2008 draft picks, Candice Wiggins, Nicki Anosike and Charde Houston. The three young ladies, along with the rest of the first-year class will be looked up to shoulder a bulk of the scoring this afternoon.
4. Shoot the ball well. The Lynx shot a combined 40.8 percent from the floor in two games last season versus the Sun. The Lynx finished the 2007 season ninth in the WNBA in FG percentage, connecting on only 41.2 percent of their field-goal attempts.
5. Find some chemistry. Minnesota's roster features 13 newcomers to just eight returnees from last season's 10-24 squad. Of the eight familiar faces, four will not be available to the Lynx this afternoon due to their overseas pledges.