Takeaways: The Sylvia Fowles-Liz Cambage battle of Minneapolis

Two of the WNBA’s elite bigs battled in an early-season Minnesota Lynx-Dallas Wings matchup.

By Mike Peden

MINNEAPOLIS — A pair of posts found themselves in the center of the action Wednesday night at Target Center: Liz Cambage of the Dallas Wings and Sylvia Fowles of the Minnesota Lynx.

Cambage is slightly taller at 6’8″, but the 6’6″ Fowles was seemingly one step ahead throughout. Her 23 points and 20 rebounds powered the Lynx to a 76-68 win over the Wings.

“Goodness gracious that was hard, but it felt good,” Fowles said. “I felt like my teammates got me the ball a lot. They put me in really good spots to finish and from there I went.”

When Fowles watches the game film, she’ll have visual confirmation that she got the ball frequently. Her Lynx brethren got her touches early and often to start the game, and Fowles delivered by outmaneuvering Cambage down low.

“She’s long, so you got to out-think her. I was trying my best not to just turn around and go straight up against her,” Fowles said.

Fowles racked up 16 points and 12 rebounds by halftime. The 2017 MVP cooled off a bit in the second half, but picked up points in moments where the Lynx were in a pinch. Compared to Sunday’s season opener, when Fowles committed six turnovers, her interior presence was more sturdy.

“This is something we asked her to do… the multiple fakes, the footwork, the deep pins,” Lynx head coach Cheryl Reeve told High Post Hoops following the game.

While Fowles was thriving in the first half, Cambage struggled to find an answer. She missed a few bunnies, a glaring issue when Minnesota outscored Dallas 25-4 in the second quarter to take a 25-point halftime lead (Cambage was the only Wings player to score in that period). Cambage was more effective offensively in the second half, courtesy of some mid-range jumpers, but Dallas was unable to level a serious comeback attempt.

“I’m not sure what it was, we just didn’t come out ready to play,” Cambage said. “We had a bad start against Phoenix, we had a bad start against Atlanta, and another bad start tonight. We have to be ready from the start.”

While the 7,834 in attendance certainly enjoyed watching the two centers engage their illustrious skill set, they also spotted a few differences that separate the perennial championship contender in Minnesota from a Dallas team trying to build off last year’s playoff appearance. For Minnesota, the chemistry of their starting five is virtually unmatched. Maya Moore scored 12 points, Rebekkah Brunson got 12 rebounds, and Lindsay Whalen picked up eight assists. Nothing unusual with those numbers, but they add up when Fowles is expending energy against a formidable foe. Dallas was without Glory Johnson, Theresa Plaisance and Aerial Powers; Johnson and Powers are integral parts in the Wings identity. Incorporating Cambage after a five-year absence from the WNBA is no small task, either.

“Nothing can prepare you for how physical the game is here,” Cambage said.

Cambage and the rest of the Wings will have a few weeks to prepare for their next showdown with the Lynx, scheduled for June 19.