In the opening game of the 2023 WNBA, Washington defeated New York, which was noted as one of the favorites.안전놀이터
The Washington Mystics won the season opener 80-64 against the New York Liberty at the Entertainment and Sports Arena in Washington, DC on the 20th Korean time.
His son, Eric Tybalt, who took over the helm after the retirement of coach Mike Tybalt, who led the team for 10 years, made his WNBA debut with a victory.
New York, which emerged as a super team at once by storm recruiting Jonquell Jones, Briana Stewart, Courtney Vanderslut, and Kayla Thornton ahead of this season, failed to show its organizational power and committed 20 turnovers amid a low field goal rate, disappointing. finished the first match.
In Washington, the even performance of key players shone.
Natasha Cloud recorded 14 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists, Ariel Atkins recorded 14 points and 3 rebounds, and Elena Deledon contributed 13 points, 4 rebounds and 5 assists. Christy Tolliver, who returned, added 10 points, and transfer student Britney Sykes added 9 points, 9 rebounds, 3 assists and 5 steals.
New York, where Sabrina Ionescu played an active role with 18 points and 8 rebounds, Brianna Stewart recorded a double-double (12 points, 12 rebounds and 3 assists), but Jonquell Jones only scored 5 points and 5 rebounds, ending the first game of the season with a come-from-behind loss.
New York scored first with Jones’ 3-pointer, but it was all about taking an early lead. Washington, who overturned the game with Dalleden’s breakthrough, took the lead from the middle of the first quarter with Chattory Walker-Kimbrow’s 3-point shot and Tianna Harkins’ footback score.
Washington, who took a double-digit lead in the second quarter with Tolliver and Cloud’s 3-pointers, gained more momentum by connecting with Harkins’ fast break after Deledon blocked Stewart’s penetration under the goal with a block shot. Worseington took a 39-26 lead at the half.
In Washington, Dalledeon, who won the season MVP twice, had the upper hand in the face-to-face confrontation with Jones and Stewart, who were also MVPs.
Washington’s uptrend continued in the second half.
New York’s score remained unanswered, followed by Shakira Austin’s score and Atkins’ basket count. New York seemed to be counterattacking with Ionescu and Vanderslut scoring, but Washington broke the opponent’s flow with Atkins’ consecutive points and Sykes succeeding in a quick break following a steal.
New York, which failed to create a chance to turn around, put in Hanshe at the start of the 4th quarter, but the flow of the game was still the same. Hansch, who failed to throw two field shots for 4 minutes and 43 seconds, had no impact on the game, and Washington, who ran away to 69-44 amid Tolliver’s performance, easily finished the game.
Washington, which released Japanese guard Machida Rui, who was recruited last season, after one season, saying, “There is no plan to use it,” put in new Chinese guard Li Meng this season, 51 seconds before the end. However, there was not enough time for Li Meng to show anything, and the game ended without him getting the ball.
Meanwhile, in a game held at the Gainbridge Field House in Indianapolis at the same time, the Connecticut Sun, which reached the finals last season, beat the home team Indiana Fever 70-61.
Connecticut, which at one point seemed to be taking a leisurely victory with a 19-point lead, was chased by Indiana with Kelsey Mitchell and Aaliyah Boston leading by 3 points at the end of the game. However, Alyssa Thomas widened the score by scoring 5 points in a row, including one free throw, and Dewana Bonner’s free throw decided the game.
In Connecticut, John Quell Jones left for New York, but the power of the tall trio was still there. Thomas played an unchanging performance with a double-double (18 points, 11 rebounds, 6 assists, 3 steals), and Bonner (19 points, 7 rebounds) and Breonna Jones (13 points, 9 rebounds) scored double digits.
Indiana, which showed its backbone, played well with Mitchell (20 points and 4 assists), and center Boston, who graduated from the University of South Carolina and entered the draft with the first overall pick this season, played 24 minutes and 17 seconds with 15 points and 9 rebounds. I had to take comfort in what I saw.
The Chicago Sky beat the Minnesota Lynx 77-66 in a game at the Target Center in Minneapolis.
The home team, Minnesota, who had a narrow lead in the first half, only scored 3 points in the 2nd quarter, and Chicago, which had a large lead, managed the game comfortably until the end and earned their first win of the season. In the final 4th quarter, Minnesota started chasing, but the score difference that Chicago earned was very large.
For Chicago, Kalia Copper led the team with 20 points, 7 rebounds and 5 assists, while Elena Smith, who made all 3 3-pointers, recorded 15 points and 4 rebounds. Elizabeth Williams (14 points, 6 rebounds, 3 steals) and Rebecca Gardner (10 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists, 4 steals) also scored a lot.
Minnesota’s Nafisa Collier contributed 17 points and 5 rebounds, and Kayla McBride contributed 12 points and 5 rebounds.