Lynx open preseason with a rout, 113-67 over Atlanta

The Lynx opened their two-game preseason Friday at Xcel Energy Center. Coach Cheryl Reeve wanted to see her starters get comfortable, all her reserves get time and have everybody play well enough that final roster decisions will get more difficult.

In a 113-67 victory over Atlanta, she got all that.

"It went as well as it possibly could go," Reeve said, after 14 players played more than 11 minutes, and all but one scored. "I thought everybody did something great."

Five Lynx players scored 10 points or more, led by Natasha Howard's 19.

In a game that got more lopsided as the quarters progressed, with roster decisions looming, here were some impressions from the action:

• Fresh legs. Seimone Augustus, Lindsay Whalen and Maya Moore took the entire offseason off rather than play overseas. Rebekkah Brunson took most of the winter season off.

And it showed. In limited minutes the Lynx starters looked in midseason form; the Lynx were up double digits before many fans had found their new seats. Moore scored eight points in 12 minutes.

• Brunson dominated. She scored 12 points on 5-for-7 shooting, with three rebounds and two steals in 12 first-half minutes. She finished with 14 points and five rebounds. She also played some center in the third quarter, with Howard at power forward. It was an effective combination.

• Backcourt depth, Part 1: Reeve wants backup guards Jia Perkins and Renee Montgomery to be more efficient offensively overall, and to be more accurate from long range. Perkins made two of three three-pointers and scored seven points. Montgomery also had seven points, hitting one of two three-pointers.

• Backcourt depth, Part 2: Rookie Alexis Jones got nearly 17 minutes. And while she struggled a bit in her first stint, she was 3-for-6 with 10 points and four assists in 10 second-half minutes.

"I was just getting used to the flow," said Jones, the team's first-round draft pick. "I was getting used to the game."

• Backup bigs: The competition continues between rookies Temi Fagbenle and Chantel Osahor. Osahor didn't score — she only took one shot — but had six rebounds and five assists. Fagbenle made four of seven shots for 10 points with four rebounds.

"Chantel knows how to play basketball," Reeve said. "She'll find open players. And you saw what Temi can do."

• United States debut: Chinese star Shao Ting scored 10 points in 13 minutes. "Ting was great," Reeve said. "She set a tone early. She was one of the first bench players to come in and be productive."

• Developing depth: Howard flashed her signature speed, exploding out of pick-and-rolls, scoring 14 of her points in the third quarter.

Moriah Mach scored seven points, Breanna Richardson eight. The Lynx shot 50.7 percent, had a 24-10 edge in assists and a 44-26 edge in rebounds.

• The Lynx end the preseason with a game Monday in Washington, D.C. The team will fly there Saturday, practice with the Mystics on Sunday, then watch the Boston- Washington NBA playoff game.

• Plenette Pierson, who suffered a concussion Wednesday, was on the bench Friday but won't travel to Washington.