WNBA Playoffs: Taurasi Still Invincibile in Knockout Rounds Leading Phoenix to Oust Connecticut

By Mel Greenberg @womhoopsguru

UNCASVILLE, Conn. — Several decades after Hall of Fame University of Connecticut women’s basketball coach Geno Auriemma had the best Italian wines on the planet in his bag of recruiting tools to convince Diana Taurasi’s mother to allow her talented daughter to travel 3000 miles East and make her legendary impact on the collegiate sport, the younger Taurasi is now her own vintage brand, an ageless commodity in the WNBA.

The combination of the number 13 and a casino in which it was achieved Thursday night was anything but unlucky as Taurasi, now 37, made it precisely 13-0 in WNBA playoff single elimination games as she helped lead the Phoenix Mercury to a closing rush and 96-86 victory over the Connecticut Sun.

The victory, after ejecting the Dallas Wings on Tuesday night, moves Phoenix to a Sunday opening date against the top-seeded Seattle Storm in the Northwest to launch one of two best-of-five semifinals series.

The Washington Mystics, having routed the Los Angeles Sparks 96-64 earlier in the evening, will travel to the second-seeded Atlanta Dream, also on Sunday, which, like Seattle, claimed a double bye for finishing the regular season in a 1-2 spot in the playoff seedings.

It’s the second straight year Phoenix brought a quick end here to revitalized Connecticut’s desire to make a run in the postseason.

The near sellout crowd of 7,858, in the Mohegan Sun Arena thought the Sun was going to snap the Taurasi mastery when Connecticut, which had been competitive with several leads all night, was tied 86-86 late in the game only to fade as the Mercury closed with a 10-0 run.

Taurasi and Brittney Griner each scored 27 points to negate the dazzling 27 posted by the Sun’s Courtney Williams, who used to bedevil the collegiate Huskies here when she played for USF in the AAC wars.

DeWanna Bonner, who missed last season due to pregnancy, popped 23 points, while on the Connecticut side, Williams’ big night was aided by Connecticut’s Alyssa Thomas’s 17 points, Jasmine Thomas’ 14, and Jonquel Jones’ 13.

Prior to the tip the WNBA announced Jones, a former George Washington star, won the Sixth Player award voted on by a national media panel.

Likely to play for USA in next month’s FIBA World Cup, Taurasi’s coach and many others believe that despite her age, in a storied career, 2018 might be her best chapter yet.

“She amazes me every single day,” Phoenix coach Sandy Brondello said. “To be able to continue what she does at her age is amazing. She’ll do whatever it takes to win.

“I don’t know if I’ve seen anyone with a will to win bigger than hers. There are no words for Diana. I think it’s the best she’s ever played.”

Even Taurasi, who used to trade Auriemma quip for quip, seemed mellow of sorts trying to explain a feat that also has been replicated with just one elimination loss in her collegiate career and likewise in both Olympic and FIBA competition.

“A lot of it is luck,” she said. “A lot of it is great teammates, you don’t do it alone in this sport. You always have to rely on your teammates, your coaches. I think we relish these moments where it’s really up to you if you want to keep playing.

“Do you want to come back tomorrow. There was a moment where we could have easily said, ‘we’re good, we’ve had our good moments, let’s go back to Phoenix and get ready for USA Basketball.’ You get to make that decision.”

And of course, Taurasi, who is now a parent, has taken care of her body.

Meanwhile, the Sun will look to continue to build on the revitalization under Curt Miller.

“This corp group had a great year,” he said. “They’re under contract. The majority of the team is back. We think we’re building something very special. We thought we could win it all this year, we’re going to be even hungrier as we move forward.”

For the four teams still alive heading into Sunday’s openers, this could be be the best semifinals going-in since though very good this season, none are invincible in the status accorded Los Angeles and Minnesota in recent years.

Atlanta has survived since the recent season-ending injury to Angel McCoughtry. Washington had its best season despite missing Belgian Emma Meesseman to her national team competition this summer.

The Phoenix/Washington matchup Sunday is interesting in that Seattle has the one-person to out-swagger Taurasi during her days as a Husky. That would be Breanna Stewart, likely to be named this season’s WNBA MVP who after winning an NCAA title as a freshman forecast three more, which she achieved.

Seattle also has another old Huskies alum having a great season in Sue Bird, who has been one of the dominant guards in the league.

WNBA Playoffs: Washington Dispatches Los Angeles in a Blowout

By ROB KNOX

@knoxrob1

 

WASHINGTON – Consistently galloping down the floor like thoroughbreds, the Washington Mystics cruised to a surprisingly easy 96-64 romp over the Los Angeles Sparks in a second round WNBA playoff game at the Smith Center on George Washington’s campus Thursday night.

 

The Mystics (23-12 overall) painted a hardwood masterpiece in advancing to the semifinals for the second straight season.

 

Astonished fans saluted Washington’s sparkling performance with a Niagara of noise as waves of shuddering sound roiled to the rafters and the echoes ricocheted off the walls.

 They left the arena happy and hoarse while still tingling with excitement and the comforting knowledge they will see the Mystics next week when they return home for game three of their best of five semifinal series against the Atlanta Dream that begins Sunday on the road. 

 

The Phoenix Mercury beat the Connecticut Sun, 96-86, in the other second round game to set up a semifinal round clash with the top-seeded Seattle Storm on Sunday afternoon in Seattle. Both semifinal games will be televised on ESPN2 beginning with the Dream and Mystics at 3 p.m. followed by the Mercury-Storm at 5 p.m.

 

The Mystics win was so dominant that even veteran head coach Mike Thibault struggled to find a phase of the game that didn’t meet his high standards.

 

“Obviously, we did a lot of things really well,” Thibault said. “We wanted to keep the pace of the game up. They like to play a lot slower; they like lower possession games. 

“And then, you know, we preach all the time about there are three things we need to win playoff games. That’s turnovers, free throw difference, and rebounding, and we did all of those tonight besides shooting the ball well.

“I think it’s a franchise [playoff] high in assists, we got 28. So, we did just about everything that we hoped. As a coach, you worry all day about this and that, and late game plays, but we didn’t have to worry about that tonight. It’s a great win.”

 

In placing six players in double figures led by Elena Delle Donne’s 19 points and playoff career high12 rebounds, the Mystics combined excellence and entertainment to set franchise playoff highs in a number of categories: points scored (96), margin of victory (32), field goals made (37), field goal percentage (.569), free throw percentage (1.000) and assists (28).

 

In her first career postseason game, Mystics rookie forward Ariel Atkins out of Texas scored 14 points on 6-of-7 shooting from the field to go along with three assists and two rebounds. Mystics guard Natasha Cloud, playing in her ninth career playoff game, set career playoff highs in points (13), assists (seven), field goals made (five) and tied her career playoff high with five total rebounds.

 

Mystics center LaToya Sanders scored 14 points to go along with seven total rebounds and four assists, setting career playoff highs in all three categories. She also added a pair of tone-setting blocked shots in the first quarter that sent an emphatic message to the Sparks and fired-up an already hyped crowd. Kristi Toliver added 11 points and nine assists while Tianna Hawkins finished with 10 points.

 

“This was an amazing environment, which is preparing us for next year when we move into our new arena,” Cloud said. “Having the home court advantage was huge for us. Everybody came in focused tonight and ready. We all understood that this was the toughest game because of the single elimination format. I am really proud of this team of how we came in and executed the game plan to the tee.”

 

Part of that strategy was to run, run, and run some more. At times, the Mystics resembled the “Showtime” era Lakers of the 80s. The Mystics gobbled rebounds and fired outlet passes, which led to a number of easy layups. 

 

When the Mystics weren’t sprinting down the floor, their halfcourt offense was a splendid symphony of swing passes, weak-side movement and precision jump shooting.

 

“I think it was just trusting the next pass and trusting one another,” Delle Donne said of the Mystics offensive execution. “Not having to force any situation and just knowing if we continued to move the ball, they were going to break down at some point. We built a great culture here. Our trust with one another has grown this entire season on defense and offense and tonight it all kind of just came together.”

 

With the Sparks having had to endure a pair of cross-country flights and playing a tough and emotional game on Tuesday against the Minnesota Lynx in a four-day period, the Mystics wanted to wear down their west coast guests. 

 

After the Sparks raced to an early 8-2 lead a little over two minutes into the game, the evening belonged to the Mystics, who closed the first quarter with a 25-8 burst to open an 11-point lead. 

Candace Parker (only L.A. player to reach double figures with 16 points) gave the Sparks their final lead, 13-12, on a tip-in with 4 minutes, 52 seconds remaining.

 

“We realized (L.A.) came from playing us and Connecticut last weekend and flew back home to play Minnesota,” Cloud said. “We knew they were going to be tired so our focus was to push the ball at them every chance we got and control the pace. We felt that they would be able to stay with us for the first quarter and after that we were going to run them into the ground.”

 

The Sparks got as close as nine points on three occasions early in the second quarter before the Mystics put the game away. Delle Donne’s old fashioned 3-point play gave the Mystics a 34-22 lead with 6:12 left before intermission and the Mystics’ lead never dropped below double digits after that. Fueled by a pair of 3-pointers each from Hawkins and Cloud, Washington ended the first half on a 19-7 run to open a 50-29 halftime bulge.

 

While Washington’s offense was a sight to behold, its defense was dominant. Chelsea Gray, who scored 26 points in the win over the Lynx, finished with seven harmless points. The Sparks backcourt of Gray and Riquana Williams shot a combined 4-for-20. Los Angeles connected on 34.3 percent of its shots (24-for-70). 

 

There were no excuses after the game from the Sparks about travel and the fact that Nneka Ogwumike and Parker were battling illnesses lately.

 

“We did this to ourselves,” said Parker with her arms folded at the press conference table. “The teams that got rest, they took care of business. So we had to travel three straight weeks to the east coast, but we did this to ourselves. We weren’t able to fix everything in this game to get back to the semifinals. There’s a lot we can learn and one of them is you can’t until the last minute to take care of stuff.”

 

The Mystics put the final flourishes on their ninth win in 10 games since the All-Star by scoring 16 consecutive points highlighted by consecutive baskets from Shatori Walker-Kimbrough and a Cloud finger roll. 

 

“Tonight was fun and it was nice to get a big win as far as point margin,” Sanders said. “Everybody had fun and was happy and celebrating. It was a great win so hopefully we can keep it going in Atlanta. I didn’t look at the scoreboard until the end of the game. As a team, we knew we were playing well, but we still try not to focus on the score too much because there’s always things you can work on to get better.”

WNBA Playoffs: Cloud and the Mystics Look to Launch Deep Run at Sparks’ Expense

By ROB KNOX (@knoxrob1)

 

Now the fun begins for the Natasha Cloud and the Washington Mystics. 

 

The third-seeded Mystics (22-12 overall) begin what they expect to be a lengthy playoff run when they host the battled-tested and veteran Los Angeles Sparks (20-15) in a second round game at George Washington’s Charles Smith Center Thursday at 6:30 p.m. on ESPN2.

 

Connecticut hosts Phoenix at 8:30 p.m. also on ESPN2. 

The winners advance to the semifinals where they will play Seattle or Atlanta Sunday afternoon. 

A Mystics win sends them to Atlanta while a Sparks triumph earns them a trip to Seattle. Washington won a pair of elimination playoff games last season. 

 

The Sparks arrive in the nation’s capital after eliminating the defending champion Minnesota Lynx, 75-68, Tuesday night at the Staples Center. They  were paced by the dominating play of Chelsea Gray, who scored 26 points. Nneka Ogwumike added 19 points for Los Angeles and Riquna Williams scored 17. Parker, who averages nearly 18 points, was held to two points.

 

The Sparks will be making their second cross-country flight in three days. They flew from New York to Los Angeles on Sunday after a 3.5 hour bus ride from Mohegan Sun Arena after losing to Connecticut in the regular season finale. 

After beating the Lynx, the Sparks return to east coast. Not sure how much of a factor that will be once the ball is tipped.

 

This will be the second meeting between the Sparks and Mystics in six days. Cloud sank a step-back game winner from 18 feet despite terrific defense from Alana Beard to cement a 69-67 victory in an intense game remembered for some heavy pushing and shoving before halftime between Candace Parker and Tianna Hawkins last Friday. 

 

“My teammates put me in an extremely successful situation,” Cloud said last Friday following her game-winning basket. “They were confident in me even when I was not shooting well.

“Every time I came to the sideline, they were telling me to be confident, trusting the work that I put in the offseason, so means a lot to me that coach (Mike Thibault) trusted me to put me in the last couple possessions there, that he has enough trust in me to take care of the ball and to turn things around. Just appreciative and glory to God.”

 

The Mystics also showed lots of resolve in beating the Sparks last week. 

Washington rallied from two double-digit deficits to earn the dramatic victory. Elena Delle Donne led a balanced Washington effort with 16 points and 10 rebounds in the win last week against the Sparks. 

Three others reached double digits including Aerial Powers, who posted a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds).

 

Delle Donne was named WNBA Eastern Conference Player of the Month for August, her fourth monthly honor in her six-year career.

The 2015 WNBA MVP ranked first among Eastern Conference players in scoring (20.0 ppg) and ninth in rebounds (6.3 rpg).  She also finished sixth in field goal percentage (53.5, 54-of-101) and three-point shooting accuracy (44.8, 13-of-29).

  Delle Donne scored in double figures in each of her last six games, including two games with 30 points.  She also recorded at least 23 points two times. 

 

Even though Delle Donne and Kristi Toliver are game-changing talents who play with tremendous heart, tenacity and poise, the dependable and steady performance of Cloud is one reason why the Mystics can win a championship. 

 

Cloud’s play throughout the season has been noticed by many veteran players and coaches. She averaged 8.6 points, 4.6 assists and 3.2 rebounds. Cloud led Washington in assists 12 times and scored in double figures 10 times this season.

 

“She’s a big point guard,” Beard said last Friday. “She does a great job of controlling the point and she understands the options around her. I think she is going to improve as she continues in this league. She’s also under a great coach in (Mike) Thibault. You can see that he is going to continue to push her to be the best that she can.” 

 

In three games against the Sparks, Cloud averaged 8.0 points to help the Mystics win the season series, 2-1. 

The former Saint Joseph’s star out of Broomall has been a more confident player and her jumper has been consistent. While the Sparks participated in the last two WNBA Finals, winning it all in 2016, the Mystics are confident.

 They won their eight games after the All-Star break before losing Sunday in Minnesota after the starters didn’t play the fourth quarter.

 

“It is a combination of this team right now,” said Cloud when asked about her confidence. “We are rolling. Everyone has a pretty high confidence in each other, as well as individually, and then the offseason work.

“I stayed home in the offseason for moments like this, for a season like this. Really just trusting in the process and the work I put in and my teammates having confidence in me, brings a lot of confidence in myself.”

 

WNBA Playoffs: Phoenix Looks To Take Flight While Minnesota and L.A. Hook Up In the Other Opener

By ROB KNOX (@knoxrob1)

 

The Phoenix Mercury are hotter than desert temperatures.

 

The fifth-seeded Mercury roll into the 2018 WNBA Playoffs with a four-game winning streak. Phoenix (20-14 overall) hosts eighth-seeded Dallas (15-19) in an elimination game at Wells Fargo Arena on the campus of Arizona State Tuesday night at 8:30 p.m. on ESPN2.

 

The nightcap is only a rematch of the last two WNBA Finals between seventh-seeded Minnesota (18-16) and sixth-seeded Los Angeles (19-15) at the Staples Center at 10:30 p.m. While in many circles the Lynx-Sparks game may be viewed as the heavyweight bout of the two playoff games, the “undercard” between Dallas and Phoenix is pretty good.

 

Featuring four of the top 10 scorers in the WNBA this season, this game promises to be entertaining. Both teams also can light scoreboard up like a pinball machine. 

 

Liz Cambage against Brittney Griner, a pair of dominant forces. It doesn’t get any better than that in the paint. 

 

Diana Tuarasi (20.7 ppg, third in WNBA) and Griner (20.5, fifth) finished as the highest scoring duo in the WNBA this season with a combined 41.2 points per game between them. 

 

Taurasi was named the Western Conference Player of the Month for the fourth time in her decorated career after averaging 22.0 points and 7.4 assists during the month of August. She scored 20 or more points in four of the seven games in August, including a season-high 37-point outing on August 1 at Las Vegas. 

 

With averages of 20.7 points and 5.3 assists per game, Taurasi’s the only player in the WNBA ranked in the top five in scoring (third) and assists (fourth).  

She led the league in free throw shooting this season with a career-best mark of 95.5 percent (172-of-186), ended up with 106 makes from behind the arc, which is 28 more makes from beyond the arc than second place. 

 

“I mean, you obviously want to finish as high up as you can,” Taurasi said following the Mercury’s win over the New York Liberty Sunday afternoon. “There was a point there when we thought we were going to be in that top two, top four, but you have to win regardless. 

“I think we’re playing well. I think we found our groove a little bit on the things that we want to do. Getting a home game, but we still have to go out there and play hard and play really well to win.”

 

Throw in Dewanna Bonner, who has scored 20-plus points in eight of the last 10 games, then the Mercury are more than capable of a lengthy playoff run.

Bonner also has scored 30 or more points twice in the Mercury’s last 10 games and is averaging 21.3 points 10.2 rebounds since her move to power forward July 25th.

 

Cambage, who finished as the WNBA’s leading scorer at 23.0 points per game, dropped 43 points against Las Vegas last Friday in a performance that helped the Wings clinch a playoff spot. 

Of course, Cambage also scored a WNBA-record 53 points in a game against the New York Liberty this season. Skylar Diggins-Smith averaged 17.9 points per game, which was 10^th in the league.

 

The Mercury are used to these elimination games. 

They are a perfect 4-0 in single-elimination playoff games under the current playoff format, which went into effect in 2016.

 Last year, the Mercury beat the Seattle Storm at home and the Connecticut Sun on the road before being swept in the semifinals by the Sparks. The Wings lost at Washington last season in their playoff opener. 

 

Phoenix won two of the three meetings against Dallas this season. However, the Wings captured the last game between the two squads, 101-72, on July 10 in Dallas.

 

The Mercury set franchise records this season with 288 and highest assist average (20.6) in team history.

 

“I said it was all about getting that momentum at the right time,” Phoenix head coach Sandy Brondello said. “But we know in this league, particularly this year, anyone can beat anyone, it’s a knockout game. 

“We just have to make sure we come out with good poise and execution at both ends of the floor. We are at home and that’s an advantage to us, so we have to take advantage of that,” she added.

“Our only focus is on Dallas. That’s a tough team and a team we’ve lost to, but we’re playing well so we have to go in with that confidence as a team.”

 

A Dallas victory sends it to Washington for a 6:30 p.m. showdown against the Mystics. That game will be played at George Washington University’s Smith Center. A Phoenix win and it will have a second round playoff rematch at Connecticut Thursday at 8:30 p.m.

 

By the time Minnesota and Los Angeles tip-off, the winner will know where it’s headed for its next game. Meanwhile, Seattle (No. 1 seed) and Atlanta (No. 2) will begin play at home in the semifinals on Sunday. The Dream play at 3 p.m. and the Storm will begin at 5 p.m.

 

Fearless predictions: Let’s go with Phoenix and Minnesota. 

 

 

 

A Night of “Sisterly Love” Ahead with the Inaugural Philly Greatest Women’s Athletes and Coaches Ceremony

By Mel Greenberg @womhoopsguru

PHILADELPHIA — Determining it’s time that the City of Brotherly Love offer up some special “Sisterly Love” to great locally bred athletes, the inaugural Philadelphia Women’s Sports Awards presentations will occur Saturday night at Temple’s Mitten Hall honoring some of the great on the field competitors and coaches.

Promulgating the event are Chester’s Fredia Gibbs, also nicknamed Cheetah who played some hoops for the Owls and later achieved all-American status at Cabrini but earned her real acclaim in kickboxing as “the most dangerous woman in the world,” Temple all-time women’s basketball great Marilyn Stephens, and her former Owls teammate Carolyn Bamberger.

Gibbs is the founder, while Stephens serves as director of basketball awards and Bamberger is awards project coordinator.

The evening is formerly billed as the Philadelphia Greatest Women’s Athletes and Coaches Awards (PWAC) Ceremony.

“The guys have obviously gotten their share and some women have received attention, but this is a chance to celebrate the female athletes and coaches who have achieved,” Stephens said.

“People need to learn history here and legacy and we need to do it while we’re still around because we’ve already seen losses like Linda Page and Rene Portland in recent years and also this summer, while not from here, still the sudden death of Anne Donovan at such a young age,” she continued.

“We’re starting with a bunch of us but Saturday night at the event everyone will get a chance to nominate anyone moving forward, and this isn’t just basketball, it’s all sports.”

The event will begin at 5 p.m. with a red carpet arrival at Mitten Hall off Broad Street up the steps into the great court with an opportunity for media interviews before festivities will continue downstairs with a dinner, the presentations and then an after-party.

While you’re Guru will have his media team of Harrah’s Racetrack photographer Melissa Willhouse, a recent summa cum laude Rider graduate, and graduate student Villanova women’s basketball star Adrianna Hahn, the three-point shooting ace out of Wilmington, to help cover the celebration, he was invited to make some guest remarks off his forthcoming November induction into the Philadelphia Sports Hall of Fame at Sugarhouse Casino.

Tickets are still available for Saturday night at the last minute and details on the organizers and winners can be found at http://philadelphiawomenssports.com.

But this night is about the recipients, some of who are quite familiar and others who will earn the acclaim they deserve.

Two great Rutgers women’s basketball coach in the mix being cited are former Immaculata star Theresa Grentz, who is now retired, and current Scarlet Knights mentor, Hall of Famer C. Vivian Stringer, who also coached at Cheyney and Iowa.

Grentz had already scheduled a vacation but filmed a video acceptance.

From basketball, also obvious in the first group, South Carolina coach and Hall of Famer Dawn Staley, the Dobbins great who is the current USA Olympic coach and a year ago led the Gamecocks to their first NCAA women’s basketball championship.

The ongoing theme is Greatest Deserves to be Remembered.

Stephens at Temple earned all-American status with the Owls as did Cheyney’s Yolanda Laney, whose daughter Betnijah played for Stringer at Rutgers and is currently in the WNBA with the playoff-bound Connecticut Sun.

Page, the great scoring star who once collected 100 points, is also among the hoops honorees as is former Gratz and Maryland star Debbie Lyttle, Stephens, Dawn Hoover, Jaydean Daye, coach Kate Pearson out of Scranton, Valerie Phillips, and longtime University City coach Lurline Jones.

Other recipients and their sports are Cecelia Ricciotti of Aikido; longtime Temple lacrosse coach Tina Sloane Green, boxing’s Kali Reis, race car driver Mares Stellfox, and track and field’s Marilyn Lee, DeChanta Phillips, and coach Gina Procaccio.

Stephens is receiving the Philly Award, and Gibbs, who also competed in track, is getting the Crystal Award.

Actor-comedian Melvin Jones, with credits such as Everybody Hates Chris and The Wire, will emcee, and actor Chris Mann (The Wire, Michael Clayton), will be a presenter.

WNBA Game Report: Cloud Shines During Washington Surge

By ROB KNOX (@knoxrob1)

 

WASHINGTON – Any discussion of the WNBA’s Most Improved Player award had better include fourth year guard Natasha Cloud. 

 

The former Saint Joseph’s Hawks star out of Broomall from suburban Philadelphia was a bundle of disruption in helping the Washington Mystics continue their winning ways. 

The two charges taken complemented her sterling eight-point, four-rebound, two-steal and two-assist performance during the Mystics 93-80 victory over the Dallas Wings at Capital One Arena Sunday afternoon. 

 

While individual accolades have never motivated Cloud, who has displayed the essence of a champion along with an undeniable hatred of losing this season, she has elevated her special game. 

The affable Cloud worked hard during the off season to improve all aspects of her game. 

 

Her development into a confident leader and clutch scorer has helped make the Mystics a legit threat to win their first championship in franchise history. 

 

“For me personally, that was a goal coming into the season,” Cloud said. “I worked with our sport psychologist and I didn’t care if I was coming off the bench or if I am starting, it didn’t matter. I just wanted to help. 

“I knew it was my year to take it up a notch. With the coaches making certain decisions about the team coming into this year, it made it clear that they had full faith in me and in what I can achieve and contribute.”

 

Playing with savage and unrelenting fury, Cloud is averaging career highs in points (9.1), assists (4.6), rebounds (3.3) and minutes (26.1). She is also shooting a career best 46.5 percent from the field and 42.9 percent from 3-point distance. Cloud had scored in double figures in four straight games before this game. 

 

The Mystics’ sixth straight victory and second 20-win season in franchise history featured a career-high 26 points from rookie guard Ariel Atkins along with a second-quarter scoring explosion from Elena Delle Donne, who finished with 23 points and seven rebounds. 

 

Delle Donne has scored 20 or more points in six of Washington’s last seven games. 

 

Some of the air was let out of the victory as Atkins, who made a career best five 3-pointers, didn’t finish the game. She landed hard and stayed on the floor for a few minutes before being helped off the floor midway through the fourth quarter. 

Atkins wasn’t available for postgame interviews and the Mystics will issue a statement on her status for the remaining of the regular season.

 

“We got our composure back the last five minutes and finished the game the right way,” Washington head coach Mike Thibault said. “We got some really good offensive performances and Ariel had her career high. We hope she is okay physically. I don’t know for sure yet. She basically landed on her hip so we will not know right away.”

 

Dallas dropped its eighth consecutive game despite a team-high 17 points from Skylar Diggins-Smith and a double-double from Allisha Gray (12 points, 12 rebounds). 

The Wings gallantly sliced a 22-point third quarter deficit to 77-71 with 7 minutes, 20 minutes remaining. That was as close as Dallas would get as huge 3-point baskets from Atkins and Kristi Toliver down the stretch helped the Mystics remain perfect since returning from the all-star break.  

 

The second quarter was the difference as Washington outscored Dallas 31-17. 

 

Aerial Powers scored eight consecutive points during the period to help forge a 28-28 tie. Then, Delle Donne went berserk. She scored 13 points in four minutes to help the Mystics open a 51-37 halftime bulge. That was part of a 25-9 Mystics burst to finish the half.

 

Waves of applause from delirious fans rained down after each Delle Donne 3-pointer went through the net. She looked like Allie Quigley as she effortlessly drained the daggers. While the offense was spectacular, it was the Mystics defense, fueled by Cloud, Powers and Latoya Sanders (nine rebounds, four blocked shots) that made the difference. 

 

“We had a come to Jesus meeting when we returned from the all-star break,” Cloud said. “We really focused on our defense and focused on being a defensive-minded team first and allowing our offense to come from that. We’ve all brought in to that. We’re rolling and going to try and keep it going.” 

 

Life is awesome for the Mystics, who recently won two games in one day when the WNBA office awarded them a victory over Las Vegas, who forfeited its August 3 contest, a few hours before beating Phoenix on the road last Tuesday. 

 

Washington (20-11 overall) remains a game behind Atlanta (21-10) for the No. 2 seed in the upcoming WNBA playoffs. The Mystics are currently third and two games ahead of Los Angeles (18-13). This was Washington’s third consecutive game scoring at least 90 points.

 

“Whatever this team needs me to do then the accolades are whatever,” Cloud said. “As long as we’re winning that’s all that matters to me. We’re playing well right now. Whatever I am being considered for is a reflection of this team and the successful positions they put me in. This league is wide open this year and we’re good enough where this could be our year to bring the championship back to D.C. Everybody believes that.”

If it happens, that would be the second major championship brought to Capital One following the NHL Washington Capitals capturing the Stanley Cup last Spring.

 

TOLIVER SPEAKS: Prior to the start of the game, Toliver addressed the crowd with the white supremacist rally occurring near the White House, which is a 3-point shot away from Capital One Arena.

 

“We feel our purpose is to love and respect people of all backgrounds, we believe bigotry is never justified, we believe in living in true equality, and we believe in the courage to speak out,” Toliver said during her speech.

 “Our message against these beliefs and actions remain as strong today as it did a year ago. It is all the more important that we together use our power for good. Continue to acknowledge these issues in your daily lives — speak, act, and live with compassion.”

 

NOTES: A few hours after the game, Dallas President and CEO Greg Bibb announced that head coach Fred Williams was relieved of his duties effective immediately … Assistant Coach Taj McWilliams-Franklin, who restrained Williams during a heated postgame discussion with Bibb, has been named interim head coach for the remainder of the season … Despite its losing streak, Dallas has a one-game lead over Las Vegas (13-18) for the final playoff spot, with each having three games remaining … Dallas hosts Las Vegas Friday … The Mystics will play their final game at Capital One Arena Friday against Los Angeles … They will play their playoff games at the Smith Center on George Washington’s campus and move into their new arena in 2019 … 

 

The (Non-) Joys of Traveling the Back-to-Back in the WNBA

By Mel Greenberg

WHITE PLAINS, N.Y.-PHILADELPHIA — For the second time in less than a week the WNBA Washington Mystics are at the center of a controversial travel situation causing a potential a no-show at the Capitol One Arena.

Last Friday due to cancellations and delayed flights causing the Las Vegas Aces to not arrive in the nation’s capitol until five hours before game time after being awake all night, the players elected not to show due to health concerns.

After a lengthy consideration over the weekend the WNBA ultimately declared the game a forfeit on the part of the Aces.

Now, the Guru is threatening to bypass the 11:30 a.m. tipoff in D.C. Thursday against the Seattle Storm, claiming a violation of the deal between the league and WNBA Media Association involving members who engage in multiple team-coverage.

In this case, allowing the New York Liberty’s corporate owners to move the team from Madison Square Garden, which exists atop a major transit hub, to the Westchester Arena here in the northern suburbs of Manhattan, the league clearly violated guidelines concerning back-to-back scheduling in a condensed period of having two tip offs in the same time zone.

“They should know better,” the Guru said of finishing attending the game before the nine o’clock hour and then having to scramble with a stop at his all-night diner here in the City of Brotherly Love before deciding how to proceed South and when to get under way.

“It’s not so much physical health as it is financial health,” the Guru explained saying being forced into an overnight is not that arduous considering his existence of maintaining vampire hours functioning in the East as if he was operating on Pacific Daylight Time,

“As it is travel is locked into a predetermined budget,” the Guru said. “Thus, chartering an Amtrak coach is too prohibitive. Besides, between weather and several hundred categories resulting in delays does not make the investment desirable since money could be wasted.

“The issue is, it’s now 330 AM and if I decide not to go does the move count as a forfeit or a no game,” the Guru said before participating in an autograph session signing the credit card check for the meal.

“A forfeit is understandable in terms of if the tickets for train or Megabus had already been purchased, But if a transaction did not occur, a no-show means the trip is a wipeout, allowing the predetermined funds to go to another place.”

Initially, the game was over-budgeted when accountants thought the Seattle-Washington listing meant the game was set to be played in the Pacific Northwest.

“It should be a forfeit because not allowing us ahead of time to make a switch on press row means we could have had someone like Stephen A Smith in the house instead,” said a miffed Mike Thibaut of the Mystics,

Because of the Liberty’s move to White Plains, charter has been approved on the way back with colleague Jim Dombrowski, who lives in North Jersey, for example, giving the Guru a ride Wednesday night back on the return south into Newark, thus bypassing the extended differential from Penn Station.

The trip was fast enough that the combination of catching a New Jersey Transit Northeast Corridor commuter train into Trenton and then ubering down here (the last Philly SEPTA connect into town, per the usual, had already left) made the trip to this point cheaper than if the last Amtrak had been obtainable.

So having killed tweener time for this tongue-in-cheek post, it’s time to determine if continuing is viable since both teams are already assured playoff spots.

Philly WBB Summer League: Maroon (USciences) Tops Black (Jefferson) 57-53 For First League Title

By Bob Heller and Mel Greenberg

HATBORO, Pa. In a game living up to what a 1-2 championship matchup should be second-seeded Maroon, also known as D2-USciences in the winter, snapped a pair of streaks Tuesday night in holding off top-seeded Black, also known as D2 Jefferson University, 57-53, to claim the 2018 Philadelphia/Suburban NCAA Certified Women’s Summer Basketball League championship at Kelly Bolish Gym, home of the AAU Renegades.

It’s the first championship for the Devils and comes after three straight setbacks in the title round, including a 53-50 loss to perennial summer power Team White a year ago.

The win also ended what had been a first-ever 11-game unbeaten run from Team Black into the title game, including a 77-72 regular season win on July 10 on the nine-game schedule in the ten-team league.

That became the differential in the 1-2 seed positions in the final standings to set the playoff seeds.

But Black’s win back in July was actually revenge for three winter setbacks in their competition in Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference where USciences took the two home-and-home regular season games and then the CACC title.

Both collegiate coaches — longtime Jefferson coach Tom Shirley and USciences mentor Jackie Hartzell were in the gym — allowed for D2 and D3 coaches under NCAA rules, which also permits the two lower divisions to field their entire squads on the same summer team.

No one Tuesday night on either side reached the Guru’s special 20 points or better citation for individual performance and Black never had anyone during the season hit the mark but the Jefferson bunch showed strong balance in their attack.

The title game was played under one of the more humid conditions in the venue since play for the season got under way on June 19, though there didn’t seem to be a negative impact on either team’s performance.

A ten minute stretch overlapping the third and fourth quarters proved to be the pivotal period for Maroon who reversed a two-point deficit with a 21-6 flourish over the ten minute span to take a 49-36 lead, their biggest of the game with 6:20 remaining.

Irisa Ye provided the spark in the first part of the run, scoring six points in the final four minutes in the third quarter while Mikaela Giuliani scored six of Maroon’s first seven points in the fourth quarter.

Ye and Giuliani led Maroon with ten points apiece.  Kendall Keyes (8 points) sank two free throws with 6:20 left to complete the Maroon run.

The Maroon flourish followed a classic back-and-forth battle over the first 24 minutes of the game in which neither team led by more than four points with six ties and five lead changes occurring in the first 2 ½ quarters.

Black held a 30-28 lead with 6:11 left before Jessica Huber’s second three-point field goal of the game put Maroon back up for good 31-30 midway through the period – triggering the run that gave her team a double digit lead.

The double digit lead was still there at 54-43 with three minutes to go in the game.

 Jessica Kaminski, who led Black with 12 points, then sank four straight free throws to cut the lead to 54-47.  

Two more free throws from Alynna Williams ((points) made it a two possession game, 54-49 with 1:35 left.

Williams made it a one-possession contest with a basket following a Maroon turnover with 28 seconds left, 54-51. Brigit Coleman then went to the foul line for Maroon, sinking three-of-four shots in the final 17.6 seconds to seal with win.  

Kaminski from Black (12 points) and Giuliani and Ye from Maroon (ten points apiece) were the only players to reach double figures scoring in the game.  All ten Maroon players scored at least one point.

As has been traditional, longtime commissioner David Kessler did the public address duties for the championship round, completing his 25th year running the league.

Next year, he says, is his 25th anniversary season.

SCOREBOARD

Standings (Regular Season Final)

Team, W-L, Pct., G.B., PF, PA

@-Black 9-0 1.000 — 611 469

$-Maroon 8-1 .889 1.0 705 433

Z-Red 7-2 .778 2.0 615 453
Y-Royal 6-3 .667 3.0 559 463
Z-Golden Sun 5-4 .556 4.0 590 507
Y-Purple 4-5 .445 5.0 616 594
X-Kelly Green 2-7 .222 7.0 486 677
Y-Sky Blue 2-7 .222 7.0 388 603
X-Orange 1-8 .111 8.0 472 634

Y-Lime 1-8 .111 8.0 472 636

@-Playoff Runner Up

$-Playoff Champion

X-Eliminated in First Round

Y-Eliminated in Quarterfinals

Z-Eliminated in Semifinals

Royal has a forfeit win 2-0 over Golden Sun

Golden Sun has a forfeit loss 0-2 to Royal

Sky Blue has a forfeit win 2-0 over Lime

Lime has a forfeit loss 0-2 to Sky Blue

Individual Scoring 20 or More Points

39-Isis Young, Golden Sun, W, vs. Lime, June 19
34-Michelle Nicholls, Purple, W, vs. Orange, June 21
31-Isis Young, Golden Sun, L, vs. Maroon, June 21

30-Natalie Kucowski, Red, W, vs. Kelly Green, June 28

27-Michelle Nicholls, Purple, W, vs. Lime, July 12
26-Myonie Williamson, Golden Sun, W, vs. Kelly Green, July 24

26-Natalie Kucowski, Red, W, vs. Lime, July 10

26-Isis Young, Golden Sun, W, vs. Purple, June 28

26-Michelle Nicholls, Purple, L, vs. Golden Sun, June 28

26-Isis Young, Golden Sun, L, vs. Red, June 26
26-Hannah Fox, Royal, W, vs. Orange, June 26
25-Emily Dorshimer, Royal, W, vs. Sky Blue, June 28

24-Gabrielle Troisi, Lime, L, vs. Orange, July 19

24-Rachel Millan, Kelly Green, W, vs. Orange, July 17

24-Michelle Nichols, Purple, L, vs. Maroon, July 17

23-Gabrielle Troisi, Lime, L, vs. Purple, July 12

23-Deja King, W, Golden Sun, July 12

23-Becca Margolis, Red, W, vs. Lime, July 10

22-Hannah Fox, Royal, W, vs. Kelly Green, July 12

22-Natalie Kucowski, Red, W, vs. Orange, June 19

21-Shayna Rodriguez, Orange, W, vs. Lime, July 19

21-Jordan Jordan Vitelli, Maroon, W, Royal, July 19

21-Hannah Fox, Royal, W, Lime, July17

21-Kendall Keyes, Maroon, W, vs. Purple, July 17
21-Natalie Kucowski, Red, W, vs. Golden Sun, June 26
21-Emma Dorshimer, Royal, W, vs. Purple, June 19

20-Shannon Glenn, Kelly Green, W, vs. Sky Blue, July 19

20-Jess Huber, Maroon, W, vs. Royal, July 19

20-Deja King, W, vs. Sky Blue, July 17

20-Gabrielle Troisi, Lime, L, vs. Royal, July 17
20-Shannon Glenn, Kelly Green, L, vs. Royal Blue, July 12

20-Jada Smith, Royal, W, vs. Sky Blue, June 26
20-Lydia Konstanzer, Lime, W, vs. Kelly Green, June 21
20-Becca Margolis, Red, W, vs. Sky Blue, June 21
20-Shannon Glenn, Kelly Green, L, vs. Black, June 19

Playoff Scoring 20 or More Points

32-Lydia Konstanzer, Lime, W, vs. Kelly Green, First Round, July 26

23-Myonie Williamson, Golden Sun, W, vs. Royal, Quarterfinals, July 31

21-Hannah Fox, Royal, L, vs. Golden Sun, Quarterfinals, July 31

21-Katie Mayock, Purple, L, vs. Red, Quarterfinals, July 31

20-Natalie Kucowski, Red, W, vs. Purple, Quarterfinals, July 31

20-Jamie Manzo, Sky Blue, W, vs. Orange, First Round, July 26

SEASON RESULTS/SCHEDULES

TUESDAY, JUNE 19

Maroon-US vs. Sky Blue-A — W-Maroon 80-33
Black-Jeff vs. Kelly Green-CH — W-Black 98-46
Red-K vs. Orange-PSUA — W-Red 68-34
Lime vs. Golden Sun — W-Golden Sun 83-57
Purple vs. Royal — W-Purple 81-68

THURSDAY, JUNE 21

Golden Sun vs. Maroon-US — W-Maroon 56-54
Orange-PSUA vs. Purple — W-Purple 70-59
Black-Jeff vs. Royal — W-Black 76-37
Sky Blue-A vs. Red-K —W-Red 95-51
Kelly Green-CH vs. Lime —W-Lime 76-55

TUESDAY, JUNE 26

Royal vs. Orange-PSUA  - W-Royal 80-58
Golden Sun vs. Red-K - W-Red-K 62-52
Black-Jeff vs. Lime - W-Black-Jeff 91-52
Maroon-US vs. Kelly Green-CH - W-Maroon-US 64-34
Purple vs. Sky Blue-A - W-Purple 70-36

THURSDAY, JUNE 28

Golden Sun vs. Purple - W - Golden Sun 92-61
Lime vs. Maroon-US - W - Maroon 110-36
Kelly Green-CH vs. Red-K - W - Red 82-45
Sky Blue-A vs. Royal - W - Royal 84-59
Black-Jeff vs. Orange-PSUA - W - Black 70-46

TUESDAY, JULY 3

No Games-Holiday

THURSDAY, JULY 5

No Games-Holiday

TUESDAY, JULY 10

Red-K vs. Lime - W - Red 80-56
Royal vs. Golden Sun - W - Royal 2-0, forfeit
Purple vs. Kelly Green-CH - W - Purple 77-26
Orange-PSUA  vs. Sky Blue-A - W - Sky Blue 58-45
Maroon-US vs. Black-Jeff - W - Black 77-72

THURSDAY, JULY 12

Black-Jeff vs. Sky Blue-A - W - Black 66-43
Kelly Green-CH vs. Royal  - W - Royal 80-66
Golden Sun vs. Orange-PSUA - W - Golden Sun 77-67
Lime vs. Purple - W - Purple - W - 73-61
Maroon-US vs. Red-K - W - Maroon 58-46

TUESDAY, JULY 17

Royal vs. Lime - W - Royal 69-67
Red-K vs. Black-Jeff- W - Black 49-42
Purple vs. Maroon-US - W - Maroon 89-71
Orange-PSUA vs. Kelly Green-CH- W - Kelly Green 62-58
Sky Blue-A vs. Golden Sun - W - Golden Sun 80-46

THURSDAY, JULY 19

Kelly Green-CH vs. Sky Blue-A -W-Kelly Green 83-60
Red-K vs. Purple-W-Red 66-52
Golden Sun vs. Black-Jeff-W-Black 87-70
Maroon-US vs. Royal-W-Maroon 95-40
Court 3: Lime vs. Orange-PSUA-W-Orange 72-68

TUESDAY, JULY 24

Orange-K vs. Maroon-US-W-Maroon 81-33
Purple vs. Black-Jeff-W-Black 97-61
Royal vs. Red-K-W-Red 74-56

Sky Blue-A vs. Lime-W-Sky Blue 2-0 forfeit
Golden Sun vs. Kelly Green-CH-W-Golden Sun 82-69

(Regular Season Ends)

PLAYOFFS

THURSDAY, JULY 26

PLAY-IN ROUNDS (Court 1)

Kelly Green-Chestnut Hill  (2-7) (7th Seed) vs. Lime (1-8) (10th Seed) W Lime 90-68
Sky Blue (2-7) (8th seed) vs. Orange-PSU-Ab. (1-8) (9th Seed) W SB-Arcadia 62-58

TUESDAY, JULY 31

QUARTERFINALS

Black-Jefferson (9-0) (1st Seed) vs. Lime (10th seed) W-Black 78-47

Red-Kutztown (7-2) (3rd Seed) vs Purple (4-5) (6th Seed) W-Red 60-50
Maroon-USciences (8-1) (2nd Seed) vs. Sky Blue-Arcadia (8th seed) W-Maroon 76-33

Royal (6-3) (4th Seed) vs. Golden Sun (5-4) (5th Seed) W-Golden Sun 71-56

THURSDAY, AUGUST 2

SEMIFINALS (Court 1)

Black-Jefferson (9-0) (1st Seed) vs. Golden Sun (5-4) (5th Seed) W-Black 73-61

Maroon-USciences (8-1) (2nd Seed) vs. Red-Kutztown (7-2) (3rd Seed) W-Maroon 51-39

TUESDAY, AUGUST 7

CHAMPIONSHIP (Court 1)

Black-Jefferson (9-0) (1st seed) vs. Maroon-USciences (8-1) (2nd seed) W-Maroon-USciences 57-53

SCHEDULES BY TEAM

BLACK (Jefferson University) 9-0 No. 1 Seed, Playoff Runner Up

June 19: vs. Kelly Green (Chestnut Hill) W-98-46
June 21: vs. Royal W-76-37
June 26: vs. Lime W-91-52
June 28: vs. Orange (PSU-Abington) W-70-46

July 3-5: Holiday
July 10: vs. Maroon (USciences) W-77-72
July 12: vs. Sky Blue (Arcadia) W-66-43
July 17: vs. Red (Kutztown), W - 49-42

July 19: vs.Golden Sun W-87-70
July 24: vs. Purple W-97-61

July 31: vs. Lime (10th seed), Quarterfinals W-78-47

Aug. 2: vs. Golden Sun (5th Seed), Semifinals W-73-61

Aug. 7: vs. Maroon (USciences) (2nd seed), Final L-53-57

GOLDEN SUN 5-4 No. 5 Seed

June 19: vs. Lime W-83-57
June 21: vs. Maroon (USciences) L-54-56
June 26: vs. Red (Kutztown)  L-52-62
June 28: vs. Purple W-92-61

July 3-5: Holiday
July 10: vs. Royal L 0-2, forfeit

July 12: vs. Orange (PSU-Abington) W-77-67

July 17: vs. Sky Blue (Arcadia) W-80-46
July 19: vs. Black (Jefferson University) L-70-87
July 24: vs. Kelly Green (Chestnut Hill) W-82-69

July 31: vs. Royal (5th Seed), Quarterfinals W 71-56

Aug. 2: vs. Black (Jefferson), Semifinal L-61-73

KELLY GREEN (Chestnut Hill) 2-7 No. 7 Seed

June 19: vs. Black (Jefferson University) L-46-98
June 21: vs. Lime L-55-76
June 26: vs. Maroon (USciences) L-34-64
June 28: vs. Red (Kutztown) L-45-82
July 3-5: Holiday
July 10: vs. Purple L-26-77

July 12: vs. Royal L-66-80
July 17: vs. Orange (PSU-Abington) W-62-58

July 19: vs. Sky Blue (Arcadia) W-83-60
July 24: vs. Golden Sun L-69-82

July 26 vs. Lime (10th seed)  L-68-90, First Round

LIME 1-8 No. 10 Seed

June 19: vs. Golden Sun L-57-83
June 21: vs. Kelly Green (Chestnut Hill) W-76-55
June 26: vs. Black (Jefferson University) L-51-92
June 28: vs. Maroon (USciences) L-36-110
July 3-5: Holiday
July 10: vs. Red (Kutztown) L-56-80
July 12: vs. Purple L-61-73
July 17: vs. Royal L-67-69
July 19: vs. Orange (PSU-Abington) L-68-72
July 24: vs. Sky Blue (Arcadia) L 0-2, Forfeit

July 26: vs. Kelly Green (7th seed) W-90-78, First Round

July 31: vs. Black (Jefferson) (1st seed), L-47-78, Quarterfinals

MAROON (USciences) 8-1 No. 2 Seed Playoff Champion

June 19: vs. Sky Blue (Arcadia) W-80-33
June 21: vs. Golden Sun W-56-54
June 26: vs. Kelly Green (Chestnut Hill)  W-64-34
June 28: vs. Lime W-110-36
July 3-5: Holiday
July 10: vs. Black (Jefferson University) L-72-77

July 12: vs. Red (Kutztown) W-58-46

July 17: vs. Purple W-89-71
July 19: vs. Royal W-95-40

July 24: vs. Orange (PSU-Abington) W-81-33

July 31: vs. Sky Blue (8th seed), Quarterfinals W-76-33

Aug. 2: vs. Red (Kutztown) (3rd Seed), Semifinals W-51-39
Aug. 7 vs. Black-Jefferson (1st Seed), Final W-57-53

ORANGE (PSU-Abington) 1-8 No. 9 Seed

June 19: vs. Red (Kutztown) L-34-68
June 21: vs. Purple L-59-70
June 26: vs. Royal  L-58-80
June 28: vs. Black (Jefferson University) L-46-70
July 3-5: Holiday
July 10: vs. Sky Blue (Arcadia) L-45-58
July 12: vs. Golden Sun L-67-77
July 17: vs. Kelly Green (Chestnut Hill) L-58-62

July 19: vs. Lime W-72-68
July 24: vs. Maroon (USciences) L-33-81

July 26: vs. Sky Blue (eighth seed) L-58-62, First Round

PURPLE 4-5 No. 6 Seed

June 19: vs. Royal L-68-81
June 21: vs. Orange (PSU-Abington) W-70-59
June 26: vs. Sky Blue (Arcadia)  W-70-36
June 28: vs. Golden Sun L-61-92
July 3-5: Holiday
July 10: vs. Kelly Green (Chestnut Hill) W-77-26
July 12: vs. Lime W-73-61
July 17: vs. Maroon (USciences) L-71-89
July 19: vs. Red (Kutztown) L-52-66

July 24: vs. Black (Jefferson University) L-61-97

July 31: vs. vs. Red (third seed), Quarterfinals L-50-60

RED (Kutztown) 7-2 No. 3 Seed

June 19: vs. Orange (PSU-Abington) W-68-34
June 21: vs. Sky Blue (Arcadia) W-95-51
June 26: vs. Golden Sun  W-62-52
June 28: vs. Kelly Green (Chestnut Hill) W-82-45
July 3-5: Holiday
July 10: vs.Lime W-80-56
July 12: vs. Maroon (USciences) L-46-58

July 17: vs. Black (Jefferson University) L-42-49
July 19: vs. Purple W-66-52

July 24: vs. Royal W-74-56

July 31: vs. Purple (sixth seed), Quarterfinals W-60-50

Aug. 2: vs. Maroon (USciences) (second seed), Semifinals L-39-51

ROYAL 7-2 No. 4 Seed

June 19: vs. vs. Purple W-81-68
June 21: vs. Black (Jefferson University) L-37-76
June 26: vs. Orange (PSU-Abington)  W-80-58
June 28: vs. Sky Blue (Arcadia) W-84-59

July 3-5: Holiday
July 10: vs. Golden Sun W 2-0, forfeit
July 12: vs. Kelly Green (Chestnut Hill) W-80-66

July 17: vs. Lime W-69-67
July 19: vs. Maroon (USciences) L-40-95

July 24: vs. Red (Kutztown) L-56-74

July 31: vs. Golden Sun (fifth seed), Quarterfinals L-56-71

SKY BLUE (Arcadia) 2-7 No. 8 Seed

June 19: vs. Maroon (USciences) L-33-80
June 21: vs. Red (Kutztown) L-51-95
June 26: vs. Purple L-36-70
June 28: vs. Royal L-59-84
July 3-5: Holiday
July 10: vs. Orange (PSU-Abington) W-58-45

July 12: vs. Black (Jefferson University) L-43-66
July 17: vs. Golden Sun L-46-80
July 19: vs. Kelly Green (Chestnut Hill) L-60-83
July 24: vs. Lime W-2-0, forfeit

July 26: vs. Orange (ninth seed) W-62-58, First Round

July 31: vs. Maroon (second seed) L-33-76, Quarterfinals

PLAYOFF SEEDINGS AND TIEBREAKER TRACKERS

(Seed Order)

Black (9-0): vs. KG (W); vs. Ry (W); vs. Lime (W); vs. Or (W); vs. Mor (W); vs. SB (W); vs. Red (W); vs.GS (W); vs. Pur (W)

Mor (8-1): vs. SB (W); vs. GS (W); vs. KG (W); vs. Lime (W); vs. Blk (L); vs. Red (W); vs. Pur (W); vs. Ry (W); vs. Or (W)

Red (7-2): vs. Or (W); vs. SB (W) ; vs. GS (W); vs. KG (W); vs. Lime (W); vs. Mor (L); vs. Blk (L); vs. Pur (W); vs. Ry (W)

#-Ry (6-3); vs. Pur (W); vs. Blk (L); vs. Or (W); vs. SB (W); vs. GS (#-W); vs. KG (W); vs. Lime (W); vs. Mor (L); vs. Red (L)

%-GS (5-4): vs. Lime (W); vs. Mor (L); vs. Red (L); vs. Pur (W); vs. Ry (%-L); vs. Or (W); vs. SB (W); vs. Blk (L); vs. KG (W)

Pur (4-5); vs. Ry (L); vs. Or (W); vs. SB (W); vs. GS (L); vs. KG (W); vs. Lime (W); vs. Mor (L); vs. Red (L); vs. Blk (L)

KG (2-7): vs. Blk (L); vs. Lime (L); vs. Mor (L); vs. Red (L); vs. Pur (L); vs. Ry (L); vs. Or (W); vs. SB (W); vs. GS (L)

SB (2-7); vs. Mor (L); vs. Red (L); vs. Pur (L); vs. Ry (L); vs. Or (W); vs. Blk (L); vs. GS (L); vs. KG (L); vs. Lime ($-W)

Or (1-8); vs. Red (L); vs. Pur (L); vs. Ry (L); vs. Blk (L); vs. SB (L); vs. GS (L); vs. KG (L); vs. Lime (W); vs. Mor (L)
Lime (1-8): vs. GS (L); vs. KG (W); vs. BLK (L); vs. Mor (L); vs. Red (L); vs. Pur (L); vs. Ry (L); vs. Or (L); vs. SB (^-L)

#-Includes Royal forfeit win over Golden Sun

%-Includes Golden Sun forfeit loss to Royal
$-Includes Sky Blue forfeit win over Lime

^-Includes Lime forfeit loss to Sky Blue

ROSTERS

(Undergrad Classes ‘19-Sr; ‘20-Jr; 21-So; 22-Fr)

TEAM BLACK (JEFFERSON UNIVERSITY)

5   JESS KAMINSKI 5’8 ARCH. WOOD/JEFFERSON ’18
10 BEVERLY KUM 5’11 ST. MARIA GORETTI/JEFFERSON ‘19
11 VALEZ JACKSON 5’4 MERION MERCY/JEFFERSON ‘19
12 ALYNNA WILLIAMS 5’2 PLYM. WHITEMARSH/JEFFERSON ‘20
14 SABRIA LYTES 6’ HARRY S. TRUMAN/JEFFERSON ‘21
15 CAITLYN CUNNINGHAM 5’6 MT. ST. JOS/JEFFERSON ‘20
22 BRIDGET ARCIDIACONO 5’11 ARCH. WOOD/JEFFERSON ‘22
24 MADDISON HANEY 5’11 SPRING-FORD/JEFFERSON ‘21
30 ERIN MAHER 6’ NORTH PENN/JEFFERSON ‘19
32 HALEY MEINEL 5’11 CENTRAL BUCKS SOUTH/JEFFERSON ‘22
45 AYOOLA OGUNTUASE 5’11 ATLANTIC CHRISTIAN/JEFFERSON ‘19

TEAM GOLDEN SUN

1   SHIRA NEWMAN 5’7 UPPER DUBLIN/MILLERSVILLE ‘13
4   SAMANTHA BRUSHA 5’10 ABINGTON/MILLERSVILLE ‘22
5   MYONIE WILLIAMSON 5’10 RADNOR/CABRINI
10 STEPHANIE PETERY 5’9 POPE JOHN PAUL/MERCYHURST ‘20
12 NIA HOLLAND 5’6 SHIPLEY SCHOOL/LAFAYETTE ‘19
14 ASHLEY WOOD 5’6 SPRING-FORD/KUTZTOWN ‘13
15 JULIA BUCHMAN 5’9 PARKLAND HS/MERCYHURST
20 CATHERINE COPELAND 6’ CLAYTON/MILLERSVILLE ‘21
21 FIONA AROMANDO ROBBINSVILLE/GETTYSBURG ‘22
22 ISIS YOUNG 5’6 LIFE CENTER ACAD/SYRACUSE ‘19
34 K’VIAH-CYNAE BREAZEALE 5’9 NEW FOUNDATIONS CHARTER/CHEYNEY
              COACHES: ASHLEY WOOD, SHIRA NEWMAN


TEAM KELLY GREEN (CHESTNUT HILL)

4   KAITLIN DOUGHERTY 5’5 SAINT BASIL/CHESTNUT HILL ‘21
5   ABIGAIL SPRATT 5’7 CENTRAL BUCKS WEST/CHESTNUT HILL ‘22
10 CASSIE SEBOLD 5’5 ARCHBISHOP WOOD/CHESTNUT HILL ‘21
11 SHANNON GLENN ARCHBISHOP RYAN/CHESTNUT HILL ‘20
12 ASIA TURNER 5’7 ABINGTON FRIENDS/LONG ISLAND U. – POST ‘20
14 LAUREN CRIM 5’5 LANSDALE CATHOLIC/CHESTNUT HILL ‘22
15 CAELA RUSSELL 5’9 ARCH RYAN/CHESTNUT HILL ‘22
20 RACHEL MILLAN 5’8 LOWER MORELAND/CHESTNUT HILL ‘21
21 BRI HEWLETT 5’10 NORTH PENN/CHESTNUT HILL ‘22
22 BRIANNA CULLEN 5’7 NORTH PENN/WIDENER ‘18
30 LILY KUNTZ 6’ EPISCOPAL ACAD/MIDDLEBURY ‘20

TEAM LIME

10 JESSICA MCKENZIE 5’10 NORTH PENN/CENTENARY U. ‘22
11 MARISA DiLEO 5’8 STOCKTON ‘20
12 KATIE FISHER 5’7 STRATH HAVEN/WEST CHESTER ‘20
13 GABRIELLE TROISI 5’7 POPE JOHN PAUL II/WEST CHESTER ‘20
14 MARISA MORANO 5’6 VILLA JOS. MARIE/URSINUS ‘21
15 CAILIN O’HARA 5’7 CENTRAL BUCKS WEST/CENTENARY ‘20
20 FRANCESCA BOGIATZIS 5’8 VILLA JOSEPH MARIE/URSINUS ‘20
24 RYLEE POWER 5’8 MARPLE NEWTOWN/WEST CHESTER ‘19
25 SARAH O’HARA 5’7 CENTRAL BUCKS WEST/WILKES U. ‘22
30 LYDIA KONSTANZER 5’11 PENNRIDGE/URSINUS ‘20
40 ASHLYN WERT 6’5 J.P. MCCASKEY/SAINT JOSEPH ‘19
42 NAILAH DELINOIS 5’9 NORTHEAST/SAINT JOSEPH’S ‘20

TEAM MAROON (USCIENCES) - Champion

5   ALYX McKIERNAN 5’4 IMMAC HEART ACADEMY/USCIENCES ‘19
10 BRIGIT COLEMAN 5’6 GWYNEDD MERCY/USCIENCES ‘20
11 TAYLOR HAMM 6’ PERKIOMEN VALLEY/USCIENCES ‘22
12 COLLEEN WALSH 5’10 SHIPLEY SCHOOL/USCIENCES ‘18
14 MIKAELA GIULIANI 6’1 NORTH PENN/USCIENCES ‘20
15 SHANNON MAY 5’5 ARCH WOOD/USCIENCES ‘21
20 JORDAN VITELLI 5’6 CENTRAL BUCKS SOUTH/USCIENCES ‘20
21 KENDALL KEYES 5’7 LENAPE REGIONAL/USCIENCES ‘25
25 JULIANA GURA 5’10 ST. BASIL/USCIENCES ‘22
30 IRISA YE 5’9 NORTH PENN/USCIENCES ‘21
32 JESS HUBER 5’9 NORTH PENN/USCIENCES ‘21
 
TEAM ORANGE (PENN STATE-ABINGTON)

4   SYDNEY BARROW 5’5 JOHN BARTRAM/PENN STATE ABINGTON ‘20
10 SHAYNA RODRIGUEZ 5’9 ARCH RYAN/PENN STATE ABINGTON ‘19
13 SARAH WILSON 5’4 NEW HOPE-SOLEBURY/NYACK ‘22
14 MONIKA SMALLWOOD 5’8 WALLENPAUPACK AREA HS/DEL VALLEY U. ‘19
15 WYNTER BESS 5’7 ARCH. CARROLL/PENN STATE ABINGTON ‘22
21 MICHELLE GILL 5’4 INTERNATIONAL CHRISTIAN/PENN STATE ABINGTON ‘22
23 JANAIAH ELUM 5’3 NORTHEAST/PENN STATE ABINGTON ‘17
24 SYMANTHA MARRERO 5’7 CENTRAL/PENN STATE ABINGTON ‘18
30 ALYSSA O’MARA 6’ ST. BASIL/PENN STATE ABINGTON ‘20
33 DANIELLE SKEDZIELEWSKI 5’8 ARCH RYAN/DELAWARE VALLEY U. ‘19
34 GABBY HEINSINGER 5’8 MERION MERCY/NYU ‘20
35 AYOTOLANI OGUNTUASE 5’10 ATL. CHRISTIAN/ PENN ST.- ABINGTON ‘21

TEAM PURPLE

4   BRADY WASSELL 5’10 LANSDALE CATHOLIC/HOLY FAMILY ‘22
5   JADA SMITH 5’9 MERION MERCY/HOLY FAMILY ‘21
14 MOLLY MASCIANTONIO 5’10 ARCH CARROLL/HOLY FAMILY ‘22
21 ALYSSA DeNOFA 5’6 ABINGTON FRIENDS/MANSFIELD U. ‘21
22 AVERY MARZ 5’7 WILSON/SAINT JOS. ‘18
23 JULIA RADLEY 5’10 BISHOP EUSTACE/MONTCLAIR STATE ‘22
24 KATIE MAYOCK 6’2 CONESTOGA/SAINT JOS. ‘22
25 CARLY TEPEL 5’1 ABINGTON/TOWSON U. ‘17
32 ELIZABETH RADLEY 6’1 BISHOP EUSTACE/HOLY FAMILY ‘20
33 HANNAH ZOLL 5’11 LAWRENCEVILLE SCHOOL/HAVERFORD ‘20
34 MICHELLE NICHOLLS 5’9 LIFE CENTER ACADEMY/LaSALLE ‘20
40 MEGAN HUGHES 5’10 POINT PLEASANT BORO/HOLY FAMILY ‘21

TEAM RED (KUTZTOWN)

4   LYNDSAY CRAIG 5’5 CHEROKEE HS/KUTZTOWN ‘22
10 MICHELLE LALOR 5’5 HUNTERDON CENTRAL REGIONAL/COL. OF N.J. ‘21
11 KAREN LAPKIEWICZ 5’10 SAINT BASIL/KUTZTOWN ‘20
12 TAYLOR THAMES 5’7 NORTH PENN/KUTZTOWN ‘19
14 KALEE FUEGEL 5’7 SAINT BASIL/KUTZTOWN ‘19
15 ABBY BEYER 5’8 SPRING-FORD/ELIZABETHTOWN ‘19
20 BECCA MARGOLIS 5’3 COUNCIL ROCK NORTH/LAFAYETTE ‘22
21 GABBI WRIGHT 5’11 CHELTENHAM/KUTZTOWN ‘20
22 ALEX LEADER 5’8 LOWER DAUPHIN/KUTZTOWN ‘20
23 NATALIE KUCOWSKI 6’3 SAINT BASIL/LAFAYETTE ‘21
24 VERONICA CHRIST 5’10 DEL. VALLEY REGIONAL/ELIZABETHTOWN ‘21
33 DEVYNE NEWMAN 5’8 HERNDON HS/SAINT JOS. ‘22
45 ELIZABETH MARSICANO 6’1 ST. ROSE HS/SAINT JOS. ‘22

TEAM ROYAL

4   LAUREN FORTESCUE 5’6 PLYMOUTH-WHITEMARSH/SALISBURY ‘22
5   KYLIE WEBB 5’7 BOYERTOWN AREA SENIOR HS/SALISBURY ‘22
10 LAURA VETTER 5’5 LANSDALE CATHOLIC/HOOD COLLEGE ‘21
11 EMMA DORSHIMER 5’9 JENKINTOWN/GETTYSBURG ‘19
12 ALLI MARCUS 5’4 BOYERTOWN AREA SENIOR HS/ALBRIGHT ‘21
15 EMILY WALLS 5’8 BAYARD RUSTIN/MORAVIAN ‘19
20 HANNAH FOX 5’7 PENN CHARTER/AMHERST ‘20
22 JESSICA GERBER 5’5 COUNCIL ROCK NORTH/KENYON ‘19
23 MELISSAANN CLARK 5’5 NAZERETH ACAD/NORTHERN VERMONT UNIVERSITY/JOHNSON ‘22
30 MORGAN MATURANI 5’11 HENDERSON/SALISBURY ‘19
34 RACHEL RYAN 6’1 ACADEMY OF NOTRE DAME/SALISBURY ‘20
35 ALLISON DIENES 6’1 DOWNINGTOWN EAST/ALBRIGHT ‘21
                                   COACH: STEVE FLYNN

TEAM SKY BLUE

4   ANNA TASSARI 5’8 OAKLAND CATH/ARCADIA ‘21
5   COURTNEY HOFFMAN 5’5 ST. HUBERT’S/ARCADIA ‘20
10 JOELLE BRIDGES 5’4 SPRINGSIDE/ARCADIA ‘22
12 TAYLOR DUNN 5’10 CENTRAL BUCKS SOUTH/ARCADIA ‘20
14 SAMI FALENCKI 5’3 SOUDERTON/ARCADIA ‘22
21 HALLE ROBINSON 5’8 MARPLE NEWTOWN/ARCADIA ‘22
23 EDEN MILLER 5’8 MANHEIM TWSHP/ARCADIA ‘22
24 ANNA SPASCHAK 5’4 SOUTHERN REGIONAL/ARCADIA ‘21
25 ISABELLA O’HARE 5’6 MARLBORO/ARCADIA’22
30 JAMIE MANZO 5’10 CHEROKEE/ARCADIA ‘20
31 HALEY STILL 5’6 NEW OXFORD/ARCADIA’21
32 CAMILLE MENNS WARDLAW+HARTRIDGE/ARCADIA ‘19
33 TAYLOR FRITZ 5’10 PHILA ACAD CHARTER/ARCADIA ‘21