Bench one bright spot in two preseason wins for Lynx

Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve wanted an improved bench this season.

The signs are there that she got her wish. Reserves scored 46 points as the Lynx edged Connecticut on the road 87-85 and had 51 points as the Lynx beat Chicago 82-61 on Tuesday at the U's Sports Pavilion.

Of course, the bench played more in those games than it will once the regular season begins, but Reeve said players like Candice Wiggins, rookie Devereaux Peters and center Jessica Adair have played well throughout training camp.

"I am seeing it every day in practice," Reeve said. "They really like playing together. And they are doing great things.

"Candice is a different kind of point guard. Candice can play the 1, [Erin] Thorn can play the 1. So we have a lot of interchangeability with that group. Dev and Jess play really well together. And they are high energy. They are two players that … will hit the glass hard and do some of the dirty work.

Then there is guarrd Monica Wright off the bench.

"And Monnie is just really fast, really explosive," Reeve said. "It is a nice compliment, the group that they have [to the starters]. A lot of different things that you can do with them."

"She sees the play a step ahead," Reeve said. "There is just no question that she is so valuable. When you get that ball moving, it creates easy opportunities for other people. And the team has really enjoyed that."

Peters had six points, three rebounds and two assists against the Sky. She had nine points, seven rebounds and three blocks against the Sun.

"The bench has more of an identity this year," Reeve said. "Last year they were trying to find their way and trying to figure out what their roles were going to be. And just that meshing together as a unit was kind of choppy for most of the year. There are no signs of choppiness with this group to this point.

"Like Candice says, they are owning their jobs. And they want to make sure when they get their opportunity, they build on whatever the situation [is] as they enter the game. To make sure when they come out, the game is in a better shape than what it was."

Against the Sky, Wright had a game-high 14 points. She was aggressive going to the basket, instead of settling for jumpers.