CHICAGO (AP) — Marina Mabrey scored 18 of her 28 points in the first half, Dana Evans scored all 19 of her points after halftime and the Chica…
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A’Ja Wilson scored 23 points and grabbed 10 rebounds and the defending champion Las Vegas Aces remained undefeated, holding off Connecticut 90-84 in a rematch of the teams in last year’s WNBA Finals. Jackie Young added 22 points for Vegas, which led by as many as 19 points before a furious fourth quarter comeback by Connecticut cut that lead to three. Kelsey Plum had 17 points and Chelsea Gray added 14 points. Rebecca Allen scored 22 points for the Sun, hitting four of her six 3-pointers in the fourth quarter. Alyssa Thomas had her seventh double-double of the season, scoring 14 points and grabbing 11 rebounds for the Eastern Conference leaders. Brionna Jones added 15 points.
Atlanta Dream guard Aari McDonald is expected to miss three to four weeks as she recovers from a torn labrum. McDonald, who has started each of Atlanta’s first five games and leads the team with 3.8 assists per game, suffered the injury in Friday’s 92-87 loss to the Las Vegas Aces. The team announced the injury on Tuesday. McDonald is averaging 6.0 points per game. McDonald, the No. 3 overall pick in the 2021 WNBA draft from Arizona, is in her third season. Rookie Haley Jones could take on a bigger role to help the Dream adjust to losing McDonald.
The Los Angeles Sparks have re-signed guard Karlie Samuelson to a contract for the remainder of the season. She is averaging 9.8 points, 2.6 rebounds and 1.4 assists while starting once in five games this season. Her 59% shooting from 3-point range ranks second in the WNBA. Samuelson was signed by the team to a hardship contract on May 18. She played with Phoenix last season on a hardship deal. The 28-year-old guard has also played for Seattle and Dallas during her career.
The Connecticut Sun are off to an unexpectedly hot start after losing 2021 league MVP Jonquel Jones to New York and coach Curt Miller to Los Angeles in the offseason. The Sun are 6-1 and leading the Eastern Conference coming into two games this week against the defending champs and current Western Conference leading Las Vegas Aces, who are 6-0. The games on Tuesday and Thursday at the Mohegan Sun Arena will be the first between the two teams since last year’s WNBA Finals. Alyssa Thomas leads the Sun with six double-doubles in seven games.
A’ja Wilson scored 27 points and grabbed 10 rebounds, Candace Parker made two free throws with 24 seconds left and the Las Vegas Aces beat the Indiana Fever 84-80 to extend its franchise record for consecutive wins to open a season to six games. Las Vegas used an 11-1 run capped by a Chelsea Gray’s three-point play that made it 72-all with 4:03 to play. Aliyah Boston made the second of two free throws for Indiana to make it 80-all with 47.1 to go but Parker’s foul shots put the Aces in front for good. Kelsey Mitchell made 5 of 6 from 3-point range and led Indiana (1-4) with 22 points but missed an open potential tying layup in the closing seconds.
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — A’ja Wilson scored 27 points and grabbed 10 rebounds, Candace Parker made two free throws with 24 seconds left and the Las…
WASHINGTON (AP) — Kayla McBride scored a season-high 24 points and Tiffany Mitchell put back her own miss with 3.0 seconds left to help the Mi…
Kayla McBride scored a season-high 24 points and Tiffany Mitchell put back her own miss with 3.0 seconds left to help the Minnesota Lynx beat the Washington Mystics 80-78 and avoided tying the franchise record for consecutive losses to open a season. Minnesota (1-6) lost seven straight to open the 2007 season. Mitchell took an inbounds pass on the right side and had a driving layup attempt blocked by Brittney Sykes but grabbed the offensive rebound and made the go-ahead layup. Ariel Atkins finished with 18 points, including four 3-pointers, and Shakira Austin had 14 points and 10 rebounds for Washington (3-3).
COLLEGE PARK, Ga. (AP) — A’ja Wilson scored 21 points, Candace Parker moved into eighth on the WNBA’s career scoring list, and the Las Vegas A…
A’ja Wilson scored 21 points, Candace Parker moved into eighth on the WNBA’s career scoring list, and the Las Vegas Aces beat the Atlanta Dream 92-87. Parker passed Katie Smith (6,452) on the points list and now trails Sue Bird (6,803) for seventh. Kelsey Plum made a key steal of Aari McDonald and Chelsea Gray raced the other way for a fast-break layup to extend Las Vegas’ lead to 89-84. But Rhyne Howard completed a three-point play at the other end with 36 seconds left. Gray answered with a jumper from the free-throw line with 22.5 seconds left for a four-point lead and Kiah Stokes blocked Howard’s 3-point attempt at the other end.
Natisha Hiedeman scored 19 points, Alyssa Thomas had 16 points, nine rebounds and a franchise-high 16 assists and the Connecticut Sun beat the Minnesota Lynx 89-84. Thomas passed Lindsay Whalen’s single-game mark of 13 for the team record before finishing two shy of Courtney Vandersloot’s WNBA record of 18. Thomas had seven assists in the first quarter and she reached 10 with 3:24 left before halftime to set a franchise record for the most assists in a half, passing Renee Montgomery’s nine in 2010. The Lynx had a chance to take the lead with 1:31 left but Dorka Juhasz missed two free throws. Thomas grabbed an offensive rebound at the other end before making a hook shot to make it 85-82 with 57.7 left.
Rhyne Howard isn’t willing to rest on her first-year WNBA honors with the Atlanta Dream. Howard was an All-Star and Rookie of the Year after being the No. 1 overall pick in the 2022 draft. That’s an impressive debut, but when asked how she wants to be viewed in the league, Howard said she wants more. She says she wants to be considered "a generational talent.” To earn that level of respect, Howard first must help the Dream end their streak of four consecutive losing seasons and return to the postseason for the first time since 2018.
Breanna Stewart says being back in Seattle with a different WNBA team feels very weird. Stewart was back in Climate Pledge Arena on Tuesday as the New York Liberty faced the Seattle Storm. It was Stewart's first trip with the Liberty back to Seattle since announcing earlier this year that she would sign a one-year contract with New York as a free agent, leaving behind the only WNBA city she had called home since entering the league in 2016. Seattle took Stewart with the overall No. 1 selection in the 2016 draft. She subsequently led the team to WNBA championships in 2018 and 2020. She was the WNBA Finals MVP both of those years, and also was the league MVP in 2018.
Breanna Stewart had 25 points and 11 rebounds in her return to the Pacific Northwest and the New York Liberty beat the Seattle Storm 86-78. It was Stewart’s first game in Seattle since going to the Liberty as a free agent during the offseason. The former MVP helped Seattle win two titles with Sue Bird, who sat courtside for the return. Stewart took over in the third quarter with 10 points and six rebounds to help New York extend a narrow halftime lead to 68-56 entering the fourth. She finished 8 of 14 from the field and 8 of 9 at the stripe. Seattle got within single digits early in the fourth before Sabrina Ionescu sank a 3-pointer to make it 72-61. Stewart’s layup gave New York an 86-74 lead.
SEATTLE (AP) — Breanna Stewart had 25 points and 11 rebounds in her return to the Pacific Northwest and the New York Liberty beat the Seattle …
The Las Vegas Aces celebrated last season’s championship over the weekend and are looking once again like the dominant team in the league. The Aces unveiled the championship banner on Saturday before dismantling a short-handed Los Angeles team. An easy win over Minnesota the next day has Las Vegas at 4-0, winning by an average of 24.75 points. Las Vegas sits atop the AP WNBA Power Poll once again.
Recent allegations by WNBA player Dearica Hamby that her coach harassed her for being pregnant have shined a renewed spotlight on one of the biggest challenges that female professional athletes face. Juggling the demands of parenthood with those of a professional sports career is just one of myriad challenges female athletes face in an industry rife with pay disparities, harassment and bullying. The athletes say things are slowly getting better as new work contracts include provisions for increased pay, maternity leave and child care stipends. But they also say that pregnant athletes continue to encounter attitudes ranging from ambivalent to outright hostile from leagues, coaches — and even fellow players.
ATLANTA (AP) — NaLyssa Smith scored 23 points and grabbed 13 rebounds to help the Indiana Fever end a WNBA record-tying 20-game losing streak …
Jackie Young scored 23 points, including four 3-pointers, Chelsea Gray added 19 points and 10 assists and the Las Vegas Aces beat the Minnesota Lynx 94-73. The Aces tied the franchise record for consecutive wins to open a season with four. The organization, which started as the Utah Starzz (1999-2005) before moving to San Antonio (2006-17) and finally relocating to Las Vegas in 2018, also won first four games of the 2011 season. Minnesota has lost its first four games in each of the last three seasons. A’ja Wilson scored 21 points for the Aces. Napheesa Collier had 21 points and 10 rebounds for Minnesota and Diamond Miller, picked No. 2 overall in the 2023 WNBA draft, scored a season-high 14 points.
NaLyssa Smith scored 23 points and grabbed 13 rebounds to help the Indiana Fever end a WNBA record-tying 20-game losing streak with a 90-87 win over the Atlanta Dream. The Fever had lost 20 in a row dating back to last season to tie the Tulsa Shock for the most consecutive losses all-time. Indiana lost its final 18 games last season before dropping its first two this year. After an Indiana miss, Alyssa Gray took the long rebound quickly downcourt and drove on Kelsey Mitchell. A foul was called but Fever coach Christie Sides challenged it. After a review, officials determined there wasn’t enough contact to warrant a foul.
A’ja Wilson had 23 points and six rebounds to lead the Las Vegas Aces to a 93-65 win over the Los Angeles Sparks. Kelsey Plum added 19 points, and Jackie Young had 16. The Aces received their championship rings before the game in a ceremony that included WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert and Aces owner Mark Davis.
NEW YORK (AP) — Breanna Stewart scored 11 of her 21 points in the decisive third quarter to lift the New York Liberty to an 81-65 win over the…
CHICAGO (AP) — Elena Delle Donne scored 25 points, including a late go-ahead 3-pointer, Shakira Austin had 15 points and 11 rebounds and the W…
PHOENIX (AP) — Brittney Griner and the Phoenix Mercury earned their first win of the WNBA season with a 90-81 victory against the Minnesota Ly…