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Lynx-Sun Preview

May 26, 2010 - 6:33 PM By MATT BECKER STATS Senior Writer

Minnesota (1-3) at Connecticut (2-1), 7:30 p.m. EDT

Despite a getting off to a rough start, the Minnesota Lynx have good reason to believe things could quickly turn around.

Rebekkah Brunson looks to help the Lynx avoid a fourth straight loss when she makes her season debut in a matchup with the Connecticut Sun on Thursday night.

Minnesota (1-3) is without three key players. Brunson started the year on the suspended list because of overseas commitments, Candice Wiggins is recovering from knee surgery and Seimone Augustus is out after having non-cancerous tumors removed.

Over the next two weeks, all three - who combined to average 46.4 points last season - should be back on the court.

"I expect big things from this team, if you look at them on paper and look at the roster all the way down to the 11th man, it is a really good team," Brunson told the Lynx's official website.

Brunson, an All-Star in 2007, practiced for the first time with her new club Tuesday. The Lynx acquired the 6-foot-3 forward in Sacramento's dispersal draft after she averaged a career-best 12.3 points and 7.0 rebounds last season. The six-year veteran helped the Monarchs win the 2005 championship.

"She's a veteran and understands how to win games and gives us depth," coach Cheryl Reeve said. "Brunson is different than any post player we have. Her versatility will hopefully help us get a road win versus Connecticut."

In her only game against the Sun last season, Brunson had a career-high 32 points with 13 rebounds in a 90-70 Monarchs victory Sept. 1.

Minnesota arrived in Connecticut, where it has lost five straight, following a 94-82 defeat to Tulsa on Sunday.

The Lynx seemed overwhelmed by the Shock's pressure defense, shooting a season-low 32.4 percent while turning the ball over a season-high 23 times. Charde Houston scored 23 points but missed 12 of 21 shots, while Lindsay Whalen finished with 16 points but went 2 of 7 from the floor.

This will be Whalen's first game in Connecticut after being traded by the Sun in the offseason. Whalen, drafted by Connecticut in 2004, averaged 11.6 points and 4.9 assists while starting all but one of her 197 games with the team.

Connecticut (2-1) is coming off an impressive 80-65 victory over previously unbeaten Washington on Sunday. The game was tied at 35 midway through the third period before the Sun went on a 25-5 run over an 8-minute span.

"This was a real good win for us," coach Mike Thibault said. "We dug in for most of the night and played good defense. I hope this is a sign that we'll be a resilient team."

The Sun spread out the scoring with five players reaching double figures, led by Tan White with 15 points.

Rookie Tina Charles scored 10 and is averaging a team-high 16.3 points.