Arlington, TX – The Dallas Wings will host their first home game of the 2017 season when they welcome the Minnesota Lynx into town. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. at College Park Center and will be televised on FOX Sports Southwest.
AGAINST MINNESOTA
Saturday’s home opener will mark the 50th matchup between Wings and Lynx. The first time these two franchises met was in 1999. That season the series tied at 1-1 with both teams winning on opposing courts. Last season, the Wings and Lynx met up three times, twice in Minnesota and once in Arlington. Minnesota took the overall series, 3-0.
HOME OPENERS
The Wings home opener against Minnesota will occur one-year from when they hosted their inaugural season home opener. The Wings are 9-10 as a franchise and 1-0 since moving to the Dallas-Fort Worth area in the first home games of the season.
OFF TO A GREAT START
Last Sunday’s season opener win is the second straight season that the Wings have gotten the win to open up the season. The victory marks the first stretch of winning season-opening games in back-to-back years since the 2007-08 season, when the team was the Detroit Shock.
ROOKIE SPOTLIGHT
Rookie Kaela Davis opened the season with 20 points. She is the first rookie in franchise history to open the season with 20 points scored and the third rookie to lead the team in scoring on a season opening game. Fellow rookie Allisha Gray also registered double figures in the Wings season opener. Her 11 points was the second highest for the team. The Dynamic duo of Davis and Gray marks the first time that two rookies led the team in points in a season opening game.
MILESTONE WATCH
Veteran Karima Christmas-Kelly is nine points shy of scoring her 1500th WNBA point. The star forward could make her mark in front of Saturday’s home crowd. Last season, Christmas-Kelly averaged 12.4 points per game with 423 scored overall.
Skylar Diggins-Smith is also close to scoring her 1500th WNBA point. She is 25 points shy of the mark. Last year Diggins-Smith registered a total of 353 points, averaging 13.1 per game.
NEW ADDITION
During tonight’s home opener, the team will reveal an exciting new team member: Lightning, the Dallas Wings mascot and the first of its kind for a WNBA team. The mascot will be at all home games, getting the crowd excited and cheering on Wings players. Lighting is the first female mascot to hit the Dallas-Fort Worth professional arena. She takes after the symbolic Pegasus that shines bright in Downtown Dallas.
Following Saturday’s home opener the Wing will go on a two-game road trip, starting May 25, when they visit the San Antonio Stars. They will then travel west for another matchup against the Phoenix Mercury. The Wings will return home on May 30, to face the Indiana Fever. The game is scheduled for a 7 p.m. tip at College Park Center, located on the campus of the University of Texas at Arlington. Season ticket packages and individual tickets are available. Fans can get theirs by calling 817.469.9464 or by visiting dallaswings.com.
Click here to view the 5-20 Game Notes.