Recap: Fowles, Dantas power Lynx past Wings, 70-67

The Minnesota Lynx, winners of their first two home games, took to the road Saturday night to face the Dallas Wings. It was the Wings’ 2019 home opener, and the Lynx played spoiler in what turned out to be a tight game, prevailing 70-67.

On paper, Lynx center Sylvia Fowles is a matchup problem for the undersized Wings starting frontcourt, and that’s exactly how things played out in this game. Fowles ran roughshod, scoring 19 points on 9-of-13 shooting to go along with 12 rebounds in her 36 minutes of action.

It was Fowles’ frontcourt partner, though, who stole the show. Damiris Dantas played heavy minutes in a shortened Lynx rotation, and she delivered by knocking down a trio of key three-pointers en route to 20 points. Dantas also recorded five rebounds, four assists and three steals in a stellar all-around performance.

Despite being out-muscled, Dallas didn’t go down without a fight. The Wings were able to capitalize on Minnesota miscues, scoring 17 points off 16 Lynx turnovers, and chipped away at a 39-27 halftime deficit until it was a single-digit game. The home team won the third quarter 18-10, putting itself in a position to take the lead at several junctures.

While the Wings were ultimately unable to complete the comeback, they did get Azurá Stevens back in the lineup. The second-year forward missed the Wings’ first game after suffering a concussion, so it was good to see her back in action. Moves like this one quickly reminded Dallas faithful of the gem they have in Stevens:

The Wings will have nearly a week to prepare for their next game. They’ll be in Indiana on Friday night to take on the Fever, a contest that will be televised on CBS Sports Network. The Lynx, meanwhile, will be out West on Tuesday to play the Seattle Storm — you’ll be able to catch that one on Twitter.