ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) - The Minnesota Lynx have added another championship to their trophy case.
Asia Taylor had 18 points, Maya Moore added 16 and the Lynx beat the Chicago Sky 76-69 to win the WNBA’s first preseason tournament title Sunday at ESPN Wide World of Sports.
Elena Delle Donne led Chicago with 15 points. The Indiana Fever beat the Phoenix Mercury 75-60 in the consolation game.
Played at the multi-sports complex near Walt Disney World, it is held in conjunction with a girls’ AAU event and has included practices, clinics and autograph sessions with WNBA players and coaches. It all is part of the lead-up to the start of the league’s 18th season, which begins on May 16.
The defending champion Lynx will be looking to capture their third WNBA title in four seasons.
WNBA president Laurel J. Richie called the week of collaborative events with the AAU a success.
“The tournament exceeded my expectations,” Richie said. “I knew there was something special in bringing our players together with the young talent.”
Lynx forward Seimone Augustus said she enjoyed she enjoyed the atmosphere and being around the AAU players this week.
“I think it helps the younger generation see what their dreams can be,” she said. “For myself, I know at AAU tournaments we never got to experience a WNBA event. Hopefully this tournament opened up a lot of minds and people got to see great quality of basketball and how competitive we are.
“Hopefully, it will help the league build and give the younger generations something to look forward to.”
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