Former Gopher Amanda Zahui B. hits a new career high against the Lynx

Former Gopher center Amanda Zahui B. came back to town on Wednesday with her new team, the New York Liberty, and managed 17 points in her first career start – normal New York starter Tina Charles was out with a broken nose – and helped boost her squad to a 95-92 victory over the Lynx. Her performance, in front of numerous maroon-and-gold clad fans, was probably was of the few bright spots on a night in which the Lynx dropped their third consecutive game, for the first time since 2014.

I caught up with her briefly afterward for a quick Q&A:

So your first career start in the WNBA ended up coming in Minneapolis. What was that like? It was really special. I was given a lot of love and attention on social media by Gopher fans and Gopher supporters. So it was just great. It was kind of surreal because I heard forward and then Amanda and then Minnesota and I was like 'Oh my God, that's me.' And then I heard people scream. It was cool.

Did you come to a lot of Lynx games while at Minnesota? I did. I said that in shootaround this morning. I said 'I used to sit there and there [pointing].' It was kind of weird. Last year, I didn't play a lot, but this year, I was out there, I was working hard with my teammates. It was a lot of fun. We had to win and we pulled one.

You played a big role in those last six minutes of regulation to charge back from 15 down. What was going through your mind? We always talk about not giving up and playing with a lot of heart. And that's just what we had to do – never give up on any play. We were down by 15, we had to just keep fighting. Even when there was just a minute left on the clock, someone said 'There is so much time left. We've got to get a stop and get a score.' And that's what we did. We followed our leaders and play with that intensity.

Do you feel like you're starting to come into your own in this league? You had a new career high with 17 points tonight. Yes, I definitely feel like I'm coming back, slowly but surely. I wish it would go faster, but coach has confidence in me and he respects the process, so I've got to respect it and just let it come to me.

I saw Carly Wagner and some of the current Gophers in the stands. Did coach [Marlene] Stollings make it too? Yes. I met them today. I went over to speak at the youth camp and I had lunch with them. They said they would be here.

Did you hear some cheers for you during the game? Yes I did and it was amazing. It was quiet when I was shooting free throws but when my teammates were shooting, it got loud. I was like 'OK, I like you guys.'