Dorka Johasz’s Minnesota Lynx lost 77-66 to the visiting Chicago Sky guard on the opening day of the WNBA North American Women’s Basketball Championship season, on Friday.
The home team was better than its opponent in three quarters out of four, but lost the second half 22-3, and that was decisive.
The 23-year-old Hungarian spent 14:48 minutes on the court as a substitute, scoring five points and grabbing three rebounds.
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– Minnesota Lynx (@minnesotalynx) May 20, 2023
“We haven’t been able to talk yet because he’s still asleep. But I think he entered the game well Odam Patunai, Director of Dorka Johasz, told the current channel M1. – He was preceded by training camp for several weeks after the draft, during which he was able to establish why he was selected in a player exchange. In addition to his knowledge of the game, his work ethic, his attitude, his combination with older players – this has been the key to his success.”
It was easy for Juhász to fit in, that’s his personality, Ádám Patonay said, but it definitely helped that the team captain, Napheesa Collier, came from the same university as him, from Connecticut.
“This is a friendly league, the players have a positive attitude towards each other, Durka has already played with professionals, as before the university she made her debut in the Pecs first team in the European Cup” he added.
When asked if Durka Johaszcz would be available for the national team at the European Championships in June, the manager answered the following:
“There are no specific details yet. There is constant communication between him and the national team staff, as well as the new president of the federation, Marton Bader, we will see.”
The Minnesota Lynx held two meetings in the preseason. First, they beat the Washington Mystics 72-69, then in Toronto—the first Canadian game in league history—lost 82-74 to current rival Chicago. Juhász was the MVP of his team in both matches.
Minnesota, champions in 2011, 2013, 2015 and 2017 — which finished 9th in the previous WNBA season with 14 wins and 22 losses, thus missing out on the playoffs — is in its next meeting, on Tuesday night Hungarian time, hosting the Atlanta Dream squad.
