WNBA Season Awards 2011 - Oct 12, 2011
Finals MVP: Seimone Augustus (6'1''-G-84) of Minnesota L. Most Valuable Player: Tamika Catchings (6'1''-F-79) of Indiana F. Most Improved Player: Kia Vaughn (6'4''-C-87) of New York L. Sixth Man: DeWanna Bonner (6'4''-G-87) of Phoenix M. Rookie of the Year: Maya Moore (6'0''-F-89) of Minnesota L. Defensive Player of the Year: Sylvia Fowles (6'6''-C-85) of Chicago S. Coach of the Year: Cheryl Reeve of Minnesota L. All-WNBA 1st Team F/G: Diana Taurasi (6'0''-82) of Phoenix M. G: Lindsay Whalen (5'8''-82) of Minnesota L. F: Tamika Catchings (6'1''-79) of Indiana F. F: Angel McCoughtry (6'1''-86) of Atlanta D. C: Tina Charles (6'4''-88) of Connecticut S. All-Defensive Team Tanisha Wright (5'11''-G-83) of Seattle S. Tamika Catchings (6'1''-F-79) of Indiana F. Angel McCoughtry (6'1''-F-86) of Atlanta D. Rebekkah Brunson (6'3''-F/C-81) of Minnesota L. Sylvia Fowles (6'6''-C-85) of Chicago S. All-Rookie Team Courtney Vandersloot (5'8''-G-89) of Chicago S. Liz Cambage (6'8''-C-91) of Tulsa S. Maya Moore (6'0''-F-89) of Minnesota L. Danielle Robinson (5'9''-G-89) of S.Antonio SS Danielle Adams (6'1''-F/C-89) of S.Antonio SS Lynx win first WNBA title - Oct 8, 2011 Atlanta D. - Minnesota L. 67-73 Seimone Augustus (6'1''-G-84, college: LSU) and the Minnesota Lynx completed a near-perfect postseason by beating the Atlanta Dream 73-67 on Friday night to complete a three-game sweep of the WNBA championship series. Augustus had 16 points and Maya Moore (6'0''-F-89, college: Connecticut) had 15 as the Lynx won their first WNBA title. Minnesota closed the postseason with six straight wins, including sweeps of Phoenix in the Western Conference finals and Atlanta in the championship series. Two free throws by Taj McWilliams-Franklin (6'3''-F/C-70, agency: Josep and Nicolas, college: St.Edward's), the 41-year-old starting center from St. Edward's University, and one by Lindsay Whalen pushed the lead to 67-63. Following a miss, McWilliams-Franklin added two more free throws with 35 seconds remaining. McWilliams-Franklin's status had been uncertain after she sprained her right knee, forcing her to leave Wednesday's game. She had seven points, four rebounds and four assists. Angel McCoughtry (6'1''-F-86, college: Louisville) led Atlanta with 22 points. *Courtesy of www.statesman.com WNBA All-Star Game: East gets the best of West in 118-113 win - July 24, 2011 There were the record number of first-time WNBA All-Stars, and a halftime ceremony honoring the best players in WNBA history. Indiana Fever guard Katie Douglas (6'1''-G/F-79, college: Purdue) didn't fit into either category. So she made her mark another way. The four-time All-Star capped one of the closest WNBA midseason showcases by hitting the go-ahead 3-pointer with 56.7 seconds left, and the Eastern Conference hung on for its third All-Star game victory over the West, 118-113 on Saturday. 'We got together during practice and the first thing we said was that we wanted to win', said New York Liberty guard Cappie Pondexter (5'9''-G-83, college: Rutgers), who led the East with 17 points. 'Alongside of having fun, we wanted to be victorious today and we accomplished that. Good job.' At halftime, Pondexter was also named one of the WNBAs Top 15 players of all-time, in celebration of this leagues 15th season. Douglas finished with 15 points and helped the East win its third All-Star game in 10 tries - but also third in the last four. Connecticut Sun center Tina Charles scored 15, and headlined a record group of 10 players who made their All-Star debuts in this years game. Swin Cash (6'2''-F-79, agency: Josep and Nicolas, college: Connecticut) led the West with 21 points and 12 rebounds and was named MVP for the second time. Former WNBA star Lisa Leslie is the other player with multiple All-Star MVP awards. Cash, the Seattle Storms four-time All-Star, was also named MVP in 2009. She is also the leagues first All-Star MVP from the losing team. I think so many players played well. It couldve been anyone, Cash said. The four-time All-Star singled out Rebekkah Brunson (6'3''-F/C-81, agency: LBM Management, college: Georgetown), who had 20 points and nine rebounds for the West. Brunson started in place of Los Angeles Sparks center Candace Parker, who is out due to a knee injury and has yet to play in an All-Star game despite ranking among the WNBAs elite players since her 2008 rookie year. Parkers next chance may not come until 2013. Next summer is the Olympics, and the league may cancel the game - as it did in 2008 - while its biggest names play for the U.S. national team. Were thrilled that its an Olympic year, and well obviously build our schedule to accommodate that, WNBA president Laurel Richie said before the game. Neither side led by more than five points. The Wests last chance came down to San Antonios Becky Hammon scrambling to shoot a 3-pointer, but she instead found herself without an open shot and nowhere to pass. Her desperate bid to escape a trap ended with her whistled for traveling with 3.5 seconds left. I think about midway through the fourth quarter both teams decided they wanted to win, Hammon said. We just came up a little bit short today. It was a disappointing end in an otherwise humbling day for Hammon, who was among the 15 current and former WNBA players named as the leagues best ever. All-Stars Sue Bird, Tamika Catchings and Diana Taurasi also made the list. I was young when the WNBA started, at the end of my high school career, Bird said. I watched them on TV and watched them in the Olympics. To be in the same group as those players is such an honor. Tulsas Liz Cambage (6'8''-C-91), a late All-Star addition in place of Parker, scored 13 points for the West. Taurasi also had 13 points and Phoenixs Penny Taylor added 11. New Yorks Essence Carson scored 13 points off the bench for the East and Connecticuts Renee Montgomery added 12. Catchings, playing in her seventh All-Star game, finished with 11 points. Douglas 3 summed up how the East won the game. The East shot 47 percent from behind the arc while hitting 16 3s, more than twice as many as the West. Douglas, Carson and Montgomery each hit three 3s. It was the Easts first victory since 2007, when it won 103-99. Courtesy of www.sctimes.com | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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