MINNEAPOLIS/ST. PAUL - The Minnesota Lynx today announced the team has re-signed guard Candice Wiggins. Per team policy, terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Wiggins played a pivotal role for the Lynx during their championship run a season ago, appearing in all 34 games off the bench. Wiggins averaged 17.1 minutes per game last season, while shooting a career-best 39.5 percent from three-point range. The fourth-year Stanford graduate ranked second on the team with a career-high 49 three-pointers, including matching a career-best with five treys on three different occasions. Wiggins finished the season averaging 5.9 points, 1.9 rebounds and 1.5 assists per contest.

We are very excited to bring Candice back for our title defense this upcoming season, said Lynx Executive Vice President Roger Griffith. The energy that she provides off the bench and her ability to stretch the floor was instrumental to our success last season. We are looking forward to her continued growth as a player this season.

Candice was an extremely important part of our teams success last season, said Lynx Head Coach Cheryl Reeve. She acts as a disruptive force defensively coming off of our bench and provides our team with excellent energy. Candice has a great ability to create offensive opportunities with her defense, which was a tremendous benefit for our team throughout the course of the season.

Drafted by the Lynx with the third overall pick in the 2008 draft, Wiggins had an excellent rookie season in Minnesota, coming off the bench in 29 of 30 games and averaging 15.7 points per game, the leagues highest scoring average ever for a player off the bench. Her season concluded with being named the WNBAs Sixth Woman of the Year, the first time in team history a player had earned the honor. Wiggins holds career averages of 11.6 points, 2.7 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.2 steals per contest.

The Lynx, who own the No. 3 pick in the upcoming 2012 WNBA Draft, will kick off their title defense with the team's Home Opener on Sunday, May 20 at 11:30 a.m. at Target Center against the Phoenix Mercury on ABC. Lower-level tickets are available for as little as $10 a game for the 17-game home season and can be purchased by calling 612-673-8400 or visiting the Lynx website at www.lynxbasketball.com.

Contact information:

Alex King, Minnesota Lynx, (612) 673-1632, king@lynxbasketball.com