Lynx C Fowles Named Defensive Player Of The Year
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – Minnesota Lynx center Sylvia Fowles has been named Defensive Player of the Year, the first such honor for a Lynx player.
The 6-foot-6 center, in her second season with Minnesota, started all 34 games, averaging 13.9 points, 8.5 rebounds, 1.79 blocks and 1.32 steals in 28.5 minutes per game.
The Lynx led the WNBA in defensive rating this year and ranked second in opponent field goal percentage and points allowed. Fowles finished fourth in rebounding, fourth in blocks and 11th in steals, the only player to finish in the top 12 in all three categories.
Fowles posted eight double-doubles in 2016 and became the sixth player in Lynx history to score 30-plus points in a game when she scored 30 against Atlanta on Sept. 17.
This is Fowles' third Defensive Player of the Year honor. She previously won in 2011 and 2013, when she was with the Chicago Sky.
The Lynx are currently up one game on the Phoenix Mercury in the semifinal round of the playoffs.