6:30 p.m. at New York No TV, 106.1-FM, WNBA League Pass. (Fee)
Familiar faces on the Liberty bench
Preview: After two home games, the Lynx (1-1), who were 12-5 on the road last season, play their first road game. The Lynx are coming off an 76-68 victory over Dallas at Target Center on Wednesday. New York (0-1) is coming off an 80-76 loss on Sunday at Chicago, in the WNBA head coaching debut for former Lynx standout Katie Smith. Smith spent the previous four seasons as an Liberty assistant. The Lynx were 2-1 — 1-1 in New York — against the Liberty last season.
Players to watch: Lynx C Sylvia Fowles had 23 points and 20 rebounds on Wednesday. F Rebekkah Brunson added 13 rebounds, who had a 50-33 rebound advantage. Liberty C Tina Charles, who was third in the league in scoring (19.7) and fourth in rebounding (9.4) last season, scored 19 in the Liberty's season opener. Rookie G Kia Nurse, the Liberty's first-round choice (10th overall) in the WNBA draft, scored 17 in her WNBA debut. Former Gophers C Amanda Zahui B., in her fourth WNBA season, scored 15 points and had seven rebounds in 22 minutes.
Numbers: Smith, who played seven seasons (1999-2005) for the Lynx, is the fifth-leading scorer in WNBA history (6,452 points). Smith's final season as a player was with the Liberty in 2013.
Joel rippel
