WNBA Season Opener 2025: Lynx Beat Wings 99-84

On 16 May 2025, the opener of the WBNA season took place in Arlington, Texas. The opener began with two competing teams- Minnesota Lynx v/s Dallas Wings. They both sent their players, Napheesa Collier and Paige Bueckers, who were having their first debut in the WNBA, to the ground. However, Paige Bueckers wasn’t lucky enough at the end of the match to win her first debut in the WNBA season. 

Scores of the Minnesota Lynx V/S Dallas Wings match

The scoreboard was first filled by Paige Bueckers’ winning throw at the beginning of the match. She was the first pick in the Dallas Wings while the WNBA Draft was choosing its players for the match. Napheesa Collier scored the goal when the scoreboard reached 13-1. Even though after starting late, Collier managed to make her team Minnesota Lynx, win by closing on her lead of 71-58. By the third quarter, Collier had given most of the lead by herself to the opponent team, Dallas Wings. The rest was covered by the other players of the team. 

Courtney Williams and Jessica Shepard of Lynx scored 25 and 15 points respectively with nine assists and eight rebounds during their round. On the Dallas Wings’ side, their player Arike Ogunbowale scored 16 points for the team. On the other hand, DiJonai Carrington got 15 points for his team Dallas Wings. 

Paige Bueckers had tried to play exceptionally throughout the match. She scored her first point in the game which marked a bright beginning. Her first assist was Carrington, who by the second half of the game, made the team reach 51-50 along with the other players. 

Other than that, a foul happened during the first half of the game. Paige Bueckers was the one who faced the foul while she was struggling to get the way out of Collier. Both players are highly professional and do not take the face-off on the field out into their personal lives. The happenings of the field are left at the respective venue itself to maintain integregrity. That is being a sport. 

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Total leads by the teams

Before the halfway point of the game, the teams combined a score of 30 points and experienced a tie at 46 points. Ogunbowale’s two free throws and Carlington’s rebound made them equal to the opposite team. The Minnesota Lynx won the match with a lead of 99-84. Even after countless tries and hard work, the Dallas Wings couldn’t win the match. 

About the teams- Minnesota Lynx and Dallas Wings

There are a lot of excellent players on both teams this time. This competition made the match even more interesting, seeing them showing their full efforts to stop the opponent team and score a goal at the same time. The Wings had in total of 9 players who were to compete against the team Minnesota Lynx. In the first half of the game, the Wings maintained a lead over the opponent team. Coming towards the end, the game flipped. The Dallas Wings couldn’t score more than 20 points during the third quarter. Thus, the Minnesota Lynx was successful in acquiring goals one by one from the opponents. The defense of the Wings fell weak. 

As the Minnesota Lynx wins the match, their next match is on 18 May 2025 with the Los Angeles Sparks. In the last season, the Minnesota Lynx lost in the game but seems like a personal comeback for the team to win the matches this time. 

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Conclusion

Both teams gave their best in the game. But the game is not only about strategies. It is about luck too, which was part of the Minnesota Lynx this time. The excitement for their match was undebatable and surely was worth the wait. Both the teams seem highly professional and sporty with each other. They do not let the field mess affect their personal lives. This is how it works. Anyway, better luck to the Dallas Wings for the next time.