The Minnesota Lynx kicked off the 2017 season on the right foot on Sunday night in St. Paul.

The Lynx opened up the year with a 70-61 win over the Chicago Sky at Xcel Energy Center.

“The most important thing was winning the game,” Lynx head coach Cheryl Reeve said after the game. “A lot of stuff we have to work on. Conditioning was a factor. I thought for the most part we got good shots, so just making shots when you get them. I just thought we played slow in the second half. . . Funky game, they play fast. They put us in that spot that we were slow-footed because we got tired.”

Sylvia Fowles led the way for the Lynx, finishing with 26 points, 10 rebounds, four steals and three blocks.

“Sylvia was great, then she was awful, then she was great for 26 points and 10 rebounds. . . She recovered, that’s the important thing,” Reeve said. “It could have gone the other way where she got frustrated and never came back to us. But she came back to us both defensively and offensively to help us get the separation to win.”

Maya Moore had 11 points, seven rebounds and six assists, Lindsay Whalen had eight points and five assists, Seimone Augustus had seven points, five assists and four rebounds and Rebekkah Brunson tallied five points and nine rebounds.

Both teams struggled shooting the ball in the game. Minnesota finished shooting 27-for-73 (37 percent), while Chicago shot 24-for-68 (35.3 percent) from the field.

Tamera Young led the Sky with 14 points, eight rebounds and four assists. Jessica Breland had 11 points and 10 rebounds, Stefanie Dolson had nine points and Cappie Pondexter added nine points and five assists in the game.

“For the most part, I’m happy with the win, I’m happy with the way we performed, but we definitely have things to work on,” Fowles said. “It was the first game, you know it’s not going to be pretty. Our logic was to just go out there and fight and make sure we get the first win. . . We were looking a little rusty, but like I said, it’s the first game. We have some things to work on. Overall, we are pleased with the way we played as a unit.”