Guru’s WNBA Report: Los Angeles Holds Off Atlanta to Clinch Playoff Berth While Connecticut and Phoenix Gain Key Wins

By Mel Greenberg @womhoopsguru

 

The Los Angeles Sparks edged the Atlanta Dream 84-79 Sunday night to win their ninth straight and pull back to a second-place tie with the idle Las Vegas Aces at 12-3 just 0.5 behind the idle and league-leading Seattle Storm (13-3) at the IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla., near Tampa/St. Petersburg and become the third team to earn a return to the postseason playoffs in what will again continue as an eight-team field.

 

In the other two games, the Connecticut Sun, which dropped its first five games, took care of the reigning but reeling WNBA Washington Mystics 76-63 and strengthen its hold a bit in seventh place ahead of the gridlock challengers just below in the idle Dallas Wings (6-10) in the eighth and final spot a half-game ahead of ninth place Indiana (5-10), which was idle, and 10^th place Washington (4-11), which is 2.5 games behind Dallas.

 

Rounding out the standings, Atlanta (3-13) with the loss to Los Angeles, is three games behind Dallas while the idle New York Liberty (2-13), which is 3.5 games behind Dallas.

 

In the other game on Sunday, the Phoenix Mercury strengthened its return to the playoffs with an 83-79 win over the Minnesota Lynx (10-5) which kept them in sixth at 9-7 but just one behind the idle Chicago Sky (10-6).

 

At the same time the loss hampered Minnesota’s bid to stay in the fight for the two double-bye berths as the Lynx in fourth are now two games behind Las Vegas and Los Angeles.

 

As per the setup in recent seasons, the best eight overall teams regardless of conference grouping make the field with the top two seeds owning the double bye as Washington and Connecticut did last season playing out to the finals. Those two rounds are best-of-five affairs.

 

The third and fourth teams get a one-game bye and then meet the first-round survivors who meet in opening knock-off games and then the second round becomes one-game fights to advance to the semis.

 

On Monday night the final two weeks of the 22-game condensed regular season get under way with two of the make-up games from last week’s stand-downs in the cause of social justice in the wake of the police shootings in Minneapolis and Kenosha, Wis., though at the WNBA’s outset the league embraced other Black victims in the last year such as Breonna Taylor, who was gunned down while sleeping in her Louisville, Ky., residence in what was a no-knock mistaken entrance by local police.

 

A normal WNBA season was originally set to increase two games to 36 after the winter’s newly negotiated CBA with the players’ union was negotiated but that all got scrapped by dealing with a delayed start due to the coronavirus and move the league to an all unified new site.

 

In the desire to get a meaningful season accomplished in the safest way possible, the WNBA followed the NBA’s bubble lead setting up shop in the nicknamed wubble 100 miles away from the NBA, which is at the Disney Sports Complex in Orlando.

 

Each team is playing a 22-game schedule playing their 11 opponents twice. The season got under way in late July and for the most part each team has had only a day off between games.

 

Originally, the setup enabled back-to-back games from occurring for the first time in the 23-year history of the league but that went out the door with last week’s two-night, one-game per team hiatus and with little time left for makeups, the first of the normally idle Mondays will be filled with two makeup games as Los Angeles and Minnesota retake the floor meeting each other at 10 p.m. on CBSSN.

 

The night begins with another key matchup as Chicago and Indy meet at 6, also on CBSSN.

 

As it’s playing out, for all intents, these next two weeks will be playoffs each night for playoff seedings and qualifications.

 

Next Monday, Connecticut and Phoenix will make up their game on Labor Day and then come right back 48 hours later against each other in their regularly scheduled second meeting on Sept. 9.

 

The other three games will be made up on the Sunday that takes the season one day later than the original dated finish as New York and Dallas meet with the Wings looking for playoff qualification and/or seeding, Phoenix and Minnesota meet with potential seedings on the line, and Los Angeles and Atlanta meet with the Sparks potentially contending for first or second, barring a slide between now and then for a lower seed in the first or second round.

 

Los Angeles Edges Atlanta to Gain Playoff Qualification and Stay in The Three Team Fight for First

 

The game between the Dream, which has struggled most of the way but upset Minnesota a week ago, and Sparks was close until finally breaking Los Angeles’ way in the fourth quarter for the win.

 

The Sparks’ ninth straight earned a WNBA record 20^th postseason appearance, missing just four.

 

Los Angeles was able to win despite the departure of Stanford grad and WNBA players union president Nneka Ogwumike leaving  in the second quarter with back stiffness. A team spokesman said she is under evaluation by team medical personnel with an update to be provided Monday prior to the Sparks’ meeting with Minnesota.

 

Brittney Sykes had 15 points for Los Angeles while Chelsea Gray scored 14, while past WNBA regular season and postseason MVP Candace Parker out of Tennessee scored nine points, grabbed 10 rebounds, and dealt seven assists.

 

Rookie Chennedy Carter had a game-high 26 for Atlanta, while Courtney Williams, who starred at nearby South Florida, scored 15, and former UCLA star Monique Williams scored 12 and grabbed 14 rebounds.

 

Sykes brought the Sparks to a 74-74 tie with with 2 minutes, 45 seconds left in regulation and then snapped it with a pair of foul shots and a jumper before Parker’s layup made it a 6-0 run and an 80-74 lead with 1:11 left.

 

In the closing seconds, Billings made a three-point play but Sykes then blocked a score and then Carter scored on a drive for the game’s final points.

 

The playoffs are the first step in giving yourselves an opportunity to play for a championship,” Sparks second-year coach said after the game. “We’re fortunate to clinch that opportunity tonight.”

 

Reserve Sparks player Kristine Anigwe out of California and drafted originally by the the Connecticut Sun had a career high nine points.

 

“I’m really excited I get to go into the playoffs with these girls,” Anigwe said after starting the second half in the wake of Ogwumike’s departure. “The energy we have daily is unmatched. We’re like a family here, being in the bubble, being with them every single day.”

 

Gray also spoke of the Los Angeles togetherness.

 

“We’re playing for the person next to us and it’s like a sisterhood,” she said. “We are playing for a bigger purpose and we all understand that. We really feel a bond and an energy you can’t really describe.” 

 

In their recent first meeting, Atlanta feel to the Sparks in overtime.

 

“I think if you look at the stretch of five minutes until near three minutes (toward the end of the game), we missed three layups and we had two turnovers,” said Atlanta coach Nicki Collen. “We had three layup misses in that stretch against a team like LA that’s gotten so good in believing in themselves late in games, if you look at the last four games, every game has looked like this.

 

“They’ve either been down double digits or eight points. They did it against Connecticut, they did it against us, they did it against Dallas. When you lead the game in close game and you have Chelsea Gray and Candace Parker, you have the advantage. Those are two world class players that the moment is never too big. They handle it. They don’t even have to run offense.”

 

Added Carter, “I would say they just kept their foot on the gas. At times we didn’t match their energy. It’s something we have to learn as a team, and keep learning how to close out a game.”

 

Phoenix Gets Past Minnesota

 

In the battle of former UConn stars, ageless Diana Taurasi had 23 points, 12 rebounds, and four assists, to pace Phoenix past Minnesota, while former Notre Dame star Skylar Diggins-Smith scored 25 for the Mercury, and Brianna Turner had 10 points and 15 rebounds.

 

Rookie Crystal Dangerfield, another former Huskies standout, had 20 points, while reigning rookie of the year Napheesa Collier, yet another ex-UConn standout, had 13 points for Minnesota, which is in fourth place ahead of Chicago and Phoenix.

 

Had the Lynx won, they would be closer to Los Angeles, going in against the Sparks late Monday night.

 

Phoenix short-circuited a Minnesota rally from a 22-point deficit to win with Diggins-Smith hitting a key pair of foul shots with 5.9 seconds left in regulation to triumph, though the outcome was tempered by coach Sandy Brondello announcing before the game that former Connecticut star Bria Hartley has suffered a right knee injury in Friday’s win over Washington and is done for the season.

 

Also missing is Brittney Griner, who has not played for personal reasons since August 21.

 

Connecticut Gains Split With Washington

 

After dropping their first five games while cobbling together new chemistry in the wake of several roster departures from their squad that fell in a decisive game five in the fourth quarter of the WNBA championships, the Connecticut Sun has been able to get fat on opponents with losing records to have a decent shot at returning to the post season.

 

The latest came Sunday afternoon in a revenge win 76-63 over the struggling Mystics to hold seventh by a game in a bid to return to the postseason. And just ahead is a Tuesday date with the forlorn New York Liberty.

 

DeWanna Bonner has 20 points, 11 rebounds, four assists and two steals for the Sun (7-9), while Alyssa Thomas had 16 points, 11 rebounds, and eight assists — two short of gaining a triple double — while rookie Kaila Charles out of Maryland had a career-high 16 points.

 

Recently acquired veteran Essence Carson out of Rutgers, waived by Washington, made her first start and scored eight of Connecticut’s first 11 points.

 

Washington, which won its first three games and then went on a losing streak, remains in the playoff hunt, but is currently 10^th following the loss.

 

Emma Meesseman, the first MVP playoffs recipient in a reserve role last season, had 14 points for the Mystics, as did Ariel Atkins, while Myisha Hines-Allen had a double double of 12 points and a game-high 13 rebounds, while Kiara Leslie scored 11.

 

“What I was really happy for the play of our bench,” said Sun coach Curt Miller. “We’re three wins up on Washington for those final playoff spots we’re all fighting for.

 

“Wednesday and Thursday were really emotional days for us and Friday was difficult. You have to celebrate every win down here in the bubble. Every win is big,” noted Miller, who, due to injuries, was forced to use just seven players from the second quarter to the fourth.

 

“All hands on deck tonight,” said Thomas. “People are hurt now, so people have to step up. And we knew the importance of a win tonight with somebody below us. Trying to gain separation, so we knew we had to come out focus and ready to play.”

 

Looking Ahead

 

Monday’s made-up games have already been noted in Los Angeles and Minnesota both meeting in the second of a pair of whats became back-to-back games, tipping off at 10, after Indiana meets Chicago at 6, also on CBSSN.

 

On Tuesday, back to a three-game daily card, as noted, Connecticut meets New York at 7 on CBSSN, followed by Indiana and Atlanta meeting at 8 on Facebook, while Las Vegas meets Phoenix at 10 on Facebook.

 

Wednesday will see Minnesota meeting Chicago at 7 on Facebook, followed by Las Vegas and Dallas at 8 on CBSSN, and then Washington and Seattle at 10 on CBSSN.

 

And that’s as far as the future we will peek ahead to right now as your Guru WNBA report comes to a close.        

 

 

 

    

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Guru’s WNBA Report: Seattle and Las Vegas Clinch the First Two of Eight Playoff Spots While Dallas Stays in the Hunt Topping Indy

By Mel Greenberg @womhoopsguru

 

The league-leading Seattle Storm became one of the first two teams to claim one of the eight spots for the WNBA playoffs going through both the front and back doors Saturday afternoon in one of the three games played at the IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla., near Tampa/St. Petersburg as the remaining six teams returned to action after having a game postponed earlier this week in support of the protest over the police shooting in Kenosha, Wis.

 

Monday begins the start of the final two weeks of the shortened 22-game regular season because of the coronavirus.

 

In the other two games, the Las Vegas Aces stayed right on the heels of Seattle a half-game back and clinched a return to the postseason in second with an easy 80-64 win over the last place New York Liberty while in a game involving teams in the gridlock fighting for the final playoff spots, the Dallas Wings topped the Indiana Fever 82-78 to flip into eighth place over the Fever.

 

Seattle (13-3) is seven games in front of Dallas (6-10), which has seven left to play — one against the Storm.

 

 But a Wings win removes the first tie-break since the season two-game series would be split and the Storm is already well-armed on the second tie-break with wins against the five teams whose records are .500 or better.

 

Had Indiana won, the Fever would still be in mathematical position, if not reality, to catch the Storm by winning all remaining games if Seattle lost all theirs.

 

The Seattle win also put a dent in Chicago (10-6), which is in fifth but still close enough to grab one of the top two spots that will have double byes into the WNBA best-of-five semifinals.

 

The third and fourth teams get a first-round bye to a single winner-take all matchup to advance to the semifinals following the two games between the bottom four teams in similar mode to advance as opponents in the second round.

 

Seattle Handles Chicago

In the Seattle-Chicago game, former Connecticut star Breanna Stewart scored 21 points for the Storm, while Florida State standout Natasha Howard had a double double of 17 points and 15 rebounds.

 

Former Notre Dame sensation Jewell Loyd fired down 12 points, while Alysha Clark and reserve Ezi Magbegor each scored 11.

 

Chicago got 19 points from Rutgers graduate Kahleah Copper, while Allie Quigey out of DePaul and rookie Ruthie Hebard out of Oregon each scored 11, and Gabby Williams, another former UConn great, scored 10. Courtney Vandersloot had nine points and nine assists.

 

“I really liked the energy we came out with defensively,” said Storm coach Gary Kloppenburg, who is filling in for Dan Hughes, who opted out of the Florida wubble being cautious of avoiding the CVID-19 virus.

 

Kloppenburg also filled in several games early last season while Hughes underwent a cancer operation.

 

“It’s been an emphasis lately to be aggressive, which is why we got to the line so often. These last couple of games, we’ve played with more physicality, which is good for us.”

 

Veteran point guard Sue Bird has been out four straight games with a knee injury but the Seattle coach was hopeful of a potential return this week, ESPN women’s basketball writer Mechelle Voepel noted in her postgame report.

 

Vegas Rolls New York in Fourth Quarter to Clinch Playoff Berth

 

Still staying right behind, Las Vegas, moving a half-game in front of idle Los Angeles and staying a half-game behind Seattle, had an easy time downing New York to also clinch a postseason return.

 

Former South Carolina great A’ja Wilson had 20 points, seven rebounds and blocked five Liberty shots.

 

“You come into this thing and you never know what was going to happen,” said Aces coach Bill Laimbeer, the former Detroit Pistons bad boy who led the now defunct Detroit Shock to three WNBA crowns and later coached the Liberty. “So we’ll take it. Now it’s about seeding and trying to win every game that we can.”

 

Aces reserve Dearica Hamby had 17 points and 10 rebounds for a Vegas double double.

 

For New York, Amanda Zahui B had just six points but broke the franchise rebounding record with 21, including 13 in the first half, the best rebounding half for anyone in the WNBA this season, eclipsing 11 by Natasha Howard.

 

Minnesota’s Sylvia Fowles and Atlanta’s Glory Johnson co-hold the active rebounding mark at 22.

 

Paris Kea, recently arrived to the Florida complex, had career-high 14 points, including 11 in the first half. Former Connecticut (University) star Kiah Stokes added 12 points and nine rebounds.

 

The game was actually competitive the first three quarters and then the Aces wheeled and dealt domination in the fourth, outscoring New York 24-7.

 

New York has been without their top draft pick, Sabrina Ionescu out of Oregon, since the third game of the season with an ankle injury. 

This past week, doctors determined surgery is not needed but it is doubtful she’ll, return given the remaining time in the regular season and New York on the way to not qualifying for the playoffs.

 

Dallas Edges Indiana

In the closest game of the day in a battle among the gridlock teams from seventh to 10^th trying to grab two playoff spots, the Dallas Wings topped the Indiana Fever, 82-78.

 

Former Notre Dame sensation Arike Ogunbowale, who fired the two game-winners in the NCAA Women’s Final Four several seasons ago, scored 30 points for Dallas, including a second place  personal-best five three-pointers, while first-round draft pick Satou Sabally out of Oregon had 18 points and 11 rebounds.

 

Sabally had been sidelined with an injury but has now grabbed 22 rebounds over the last two games.

 

Allisha Gray added 13 points for the Wings, while Marina Mabrey, another former Notre Dame star, scored 10, including a key 3-ball near the finish to clinch the victory.

 

“I want to first say, I’m really proud of all the players in the WNBA,” Dallas coach Brian Agler, addressed the the situation earlier in the week when teams decided to refrain from playing Wednesday and Thursday. 

 

“They spoke as one, stayed united on all social justice issues, they’re unified. And I’m proud how they’re letting you guys, the general public show, their voices. And I’m hoping that will continue the rest of the season. They’ve got tremendous leadership, 

 

“All the players in the league are focused on this. It’s been an emotional spring and summer, and obviously the exclamation point was put on last week. This isn’t going to go away. This will continue. Future leaders of our country are playing in this league and that will play out the next 15-20 years.

 

“That said, I’m proud of our effort.”

 

Indiana had six players score in double figures, paced by former Ohio State standout Kelsey Mitchell’s 19 points. The Fever started the game with an 8-0 spurt and opened the fourth quarter ahead two points.

 

Former South Carolina star Tiffany Mitchell returned from injury and the Fever reserve scored 13 points, fueled by 11-of-12 from the line. Natalie Achonwa had had 11 points and eight rebounds, while former Temple star Candice Dupree had 11 points and nine rebounds, and rookie Julie Allemand scored 10, grabbed four rebounds, dealt three assists, and had two steals.

 

Teaira McCowan had 13 points and Kathleen Doyle scored 10.

 

“Well, we couldn’t get stops, when we needed to get stops, that really hurt us,” said first-year coach Marianne Stanley, a former Immaculata star who coached Old Dominion to three national titles and had been on Washington’s staff for a long stint leading to last season’s championship.

 

“We had really good looks at the basket, but just didn’t make shots. So you get in that time period in the last few minutes of the game and everything else being equal, you can’t get stops, you come  down the floor on your offensive end and you can’t score, and they get a stop, and it just takes two or three possessions to lose control of the game.

 

“Give them credit. They scored when they needed to, we couldn’t get stops when we needed to.”

 

Looking Ahead

 

On Sunday, the Los Angeles Sparks, with an eight-game win streak, can clinch a playoff spot and go back to a second-place tie with Las Vegas by beating the Atlanta Dream in a game that tips at 8 p.m. on Facebook.

 

Connecticut, holding seventh place, meets 10^th place Washington at 4 p.m. on twitter in a rematch from last season’s championship series. Both teams are battling for a playoff spot with the Sun currently in seventh, while the Mystics are 10^th.

 

Minnesota, trying to stay close to the leaders, in fourth, meets sixth-place Phoenix at 6 on Facebook.

 

Monday is normally an idle day on the frenetic schedule but two games will be made up from last week’s postponement, in a CBSSN doubleheader, as Indiana and Chicago meet at 6, followed by Minnesota and Los Angeles at 10 p.m. in a key battle involving the upper portion of the standings.

 

Both teams are in back-to-back mode, having played on Sunday.

 

On Tuesday, Connecticut and New York meet at 7 on CBSSN as the calendar flips to September, while Indiana and Atlanta meet at 8 on Facebook, and Las Vegas and Phoenix meet at 10 on Facebook.

 

And that’s the report.

 

 

 

 

   

 

    

 

 

 

 

 

      

Guru’s WNBA Report: Minnesota, Los Angeles and Phoenix Win As League Returns to Action

By Mel Greenberg @womhoopsguru

 

Seattle was idle as the WNBA went back on the court Friday night following a missed game for each team, now rescheduled, in the cause of social justice but nevertheless it’s determined the Storm atop the standings are now about to be the first to clinch one of the eight playoff spots available.

 

In the shortened 22-game schedule for the regular season caused by the coronavirus, Seattle (12-3) either needs to win its 2 p.m. game on Saturday against the Chicago Sky (10-5) on ABC or Indiana (5-9) lose its 4 p.m. game to the Dallas Wings (5-10) on the main CBS channel.

 

Though the Storm must still play Dallas one more time, the next tiebreak if the Wing gained a split is best record against teams with winning records and the Storm is in excellent shape against the six teams at the moment in that slot.

 

However, its not a slam dunk that either will happen on Saturday because Chicago is fighting near the upper part of the standings in fifth just 2.0 games behind the Storm for one of the two double bye slots for the playoffs and 1.5 behind second place Las Vegas (11-3) and Los Angeles (11-3).

 

Fortunately, spots made it easy on the window of opportunity to reschedule the six missed games, which the league announced earlier Friday.

 

Taking advantage of the normally idle Monday, next week, Chicago will meet Indiana at 6 p.m. on CBSSN followed by Los Angeles meeting Minnesota at 10, also on CBSSN.

 

A week from Monday on Labor Day, Connecticut and Phoenix will meet at 6 on CBSSN.

 

As for the other three games, the regular season will now end one day later on Sunday, Sept. 13, with Dallas and New York meeting at noon on CBSSN, followed by Las Vegas and Seattle at 3 on ABC and Washington at Atlanta at 5 on Facebook/Oculus venues.

 

Of the six teams who returned to action on Friday night, the three teams in the upper part of the standings all took care of their business.

 

The fourth place Minnesota Lynx (10-4) topped the Atlanta Dream 88-79 ending the Dream’s one game win streak as they fell to 3-12 in 11^th place a half-game in front of the last place New York Liberty (2-12) and three behind the Indiana Fever, which is currently holding the last playoff slot.

 

Minnesota is holding fourth but just 1.5 games behind Seattle and a game behind Los Angeles and Las Vegas.

 

The Los Angeles Sparks won their eighth straight beating the Connecticut Sun 80-76 as the Sparks stayed tied with idle Las Vegas and Connecticut 6-9) still held seventh 1.5 games behind Phoenix (8-7) but just 0.5 in front of Indy and one in front of Dallas and Washington.

 

Phoenix went one above .500 at 8-7 easily beating the Washington Mystics 94-72 to hold sixth while Washington didn’t help itself with the loss staying in 10^th at 4-10 but still in the playoff hunt 1.5 games behind eighth place Indiana.

 

Minnesota Bests Atlanta

 

In the Minnesota win over Atlanta, rookie Crystal Dangerfield out of Connecticut scored 23 points, helped by 9-of-10 from the line, while reigning rookie of the year Napheesa Collier, also out of UConn, had 19 points and 12 rebounds, while reserve Odyssey Sims had 17 points and dealt nine assists.

 

Atlanta’s Betnijah Laney, the former Rutgers standout, scored 22, Courtney Williams scored 17, Elizabeth Williams had 12 points and 10 rebounds, while reserve Blake Dietrick, the former Princeton star and Ivy player of the year, scored 11 while Monique Billings had 10 points and eight rebounds.

 

Chennedy Carter back from injury started but was held to three points

 

Atlanta had upset Minnesota a week ago in their first meeting on Sunday.

 

“They were actually similar,” Atlanta coach Nicki Collen said of the two games. “Didn’t get off to a good start. Battled back. Battled back quicker, even tied at the end of the first quarter.

 

“Those offensive rebounds, gave up too many offensive rebounds. Turned it over too many times in the second half, and quite frankly when you look at why we lost, we didn’t put the ball in the basket from two feet.”

 

Late Surge Carries Los Angeles Over Connecticut

 

In the Los Angeles-Connecticut game, Chelsea Gray scored 27 points for the Sparks off 10-for-16 from the field, including a trio of three-pointers, while Nneka Ogwumike, the Stanford grad and president of the WNBA players union, scored 17, former Tennessee standout Candace Parker scored 12, and reserve Te’a Cooper scored 14.

 

On the Sun, Alyssa Thomas had 19 points and nine rebounds, former Duke star Jasmine Thomas scored 12, Brionna Jones scored 10, and DeWanna Bonner scored 13.

 

The Sparks used a late surge to carry them to the win.

 

“That was not easy to do … when you add what’s been going on for the last week, for a lot of us, that took us over the top,” Los Angeles coach Derek Fisher said.

 

The Sparks were one of the four teams in the IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla., near Tampa/St. Petersburg, and were scheduled for the second game of the daily three-game grind by the league behind the Atlanta/Washington game, which got postponed at the tip as the WNBA  followed the lead the NBA on Wednesday, deciding not to play in the cause of the latest police shooting, which occurred in Kenosha, Wis.

 

“For them, to be able to some how find a way to channel the energy and commitment to each other, it just says a lot of who they are as people.”

 

Los Angeles swept the two-game series with the win.

 

At one stage, Connecticut held an 11-point lead.

 

Sun coach Curt Miller spoke to the 23 turnovers by the Sun as leaving point s on the court in terms of shooting 50 percent from the field.

 

“We had won 6-of-8 and had felt good about playing the hottest team in the league, but we came up short, unfortunately,” Miller said.

 

Phoenix Handles Washington

 

In the last game of the night, former Notre Dame star Skylar Diggins-Smith scored 24 for the Mercury fueled by 6-of-8 from beyond the arc, former Rutgers star Kia Vaughan scored 16, and former UConn star Diana Taurasi scored 16 among the Phoenix starters, while reserve Tianna Hawkins scored 13.

 

Fortmer Temple star Shey Peddy, recently picked up when she was waived by Washington, scored 14 off the bench, and Shatori Walker-Kimbrough scored 10 as a reserve. 

 

Leilani Mitchell had 17 for the defending WNBA champion Mystics, while former Louisville star Myisha Hines-Allen scored 14, and Kiara Leslie scored 10 among the starters. Tianna Hawkins had 13 of the bench. Former Rider star and rookie Stella Johnson did not play due to a left ankle injury.

 

Looking Ahead

 

On Saturday as the other six teams get back in action, the New York Liberty will meet Las Vegas at noon on CBSSN, followed by Seattle and Chicago in a key game at 2 on ABC, and  Dallas and Indiana meet at 4 on CBS.

 

Completing the weekend on Sunday, Connecticut and Washington meet at 4 on twitter, Phoenix and Minnesota meet at 6 on Facebook, and Los Angeles and Atlanta, also meet on Facebook at 8.

 

And that’s the report.

 

 

 

 

  

Guru’s WNBA Report: Narrow Outcomes in All Three Contests as 1.5 Games Separates Top Five Spots

By Mel Greenberg @womhoopsguru

 

Sunday produced the closest outcomes across the board of the WNBA 22-game shortened season caused by the Cvid-19 in terms of the three games a day card at the IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla., near Tampa/St. Petersburg.

 

And after the weekly Monday hiatus, Tuesday begins a three-way race to the finish and with the front-running Seattle Storm’s sudden slump and the crowd at the bottom, there is a slight separation in which only 1.5 game separates the top five teams and then the sixth-place Phoenix Mercury heads a tight group all the way down to 10^th place Washington in which just 2.5 games apart differentiates in the battle for the eight playoff spots.

 

The most surprising outcome of Sunday’s three games was the Atlanta Dream picking up their third win of the season by downing Minnesota 78-75, bumping the Lynx (9-4) down to fifth, 2.5 games in front of Phoenix.

 

Minnesota came into the game off defeating Phoenix 90-80 on Friday night while Atlanta (3-11), which narrowly lost to Los Angeles 93-85 in overtime Friday night, but was mired in 11^th place.

 

Monique Billings had a double double with 16 points and 13 rebounds while Rutgers grad Betnijah Laney also had a double double with 16 points and 10 assists to bring Atlanta’s lifetime record to 9-20 against Minnesota.

 

The last game with two Atlanta players scoring double doubles was three seasons ago when the deeds were done with Layshia Clarendon, who is now with New York, and Brittney Sykes, now with Los Angeles.

 

It was Laney’s second double double of the season coming back-to-back and they are the first two in her pro career.

 

Courtney Williams, the South Florida grad who previously played for the Connecticut Sun, had 14 points, while veteran and Princeton grad Blake Dietrick threw down 13 points, the fourth time she has scored in double digits this season compared to just one all of last year.

 

The Dream had lost 10 straight and didn’t lead until the third quarter in which they scored 27 points.

 

As the stretch drive commences, it will be interesting to see what teams besides trying to stay injury and illness free also are able to keep going on their 22-game schedules that for the most part feature just one off day.

 

Atlanta second-year coach Nicki Collen said of Dietrick’s performance, “She made shots. For the most part, she didn’t turn the basketball over. She got us into action faster.

 

“Sometimes, Blake, her only trouble with the point (guard position), because people play her soft at times, she doesn’t take shots that are there. She did a good job tonight just initiating offense and then spacing away and knocking down open shots.

 

“I thought with Blake’s bench play and Mo’s second half activity, that was the difference in the game.”

 

In the closest game of the night, Phoenix got back to .500 at 7-7 while Washington, the defending league champs who have struggled after winning its first three, dropped to 10^th but still is in the playoff hunt following the Mystics’ 88-87 loss.

 

Former UConn standout Diana Taurasi, now one of the WNBA’s elder stateswomen, lit the IMG Academy court for 34 points, shooting 7-for-13 from beyond the arc for Phoenix. 

 

Former Rutgers star Kia Vaughn, a league vet who has played on New York and Washington, hammered down 16 points, shooting 7-for-9 from the field to back up Taurasi, while Bria Hartley, another former Husky, scored 11 for the Mercury, and former Notre Dame standout Skylar Diggins-Smith, who signed a free agent deal in the offseason coming from Dallas, scored 10.

 

Brianna Turner grabbed 17 rebounds for Phoenix.

 

Tiana Hawkins had 19 points for Washington, which is missing four starters from last year’s champions. Ariel Atkins had 18 points, Leilani Mitchell scored 12, Myisha Hines-Allen out of Louisville scored 10 and grabbed 13 rebounds while recently signed Rider rookie Stella Johnson, last season’s top Division I scorer in the NCAA, had another worthy performance shooting 5-for-7 from the field and scoring 12 points.

 

Johnson nailed a three-pointer before regulation time expired to bring the Mystics within a point.

 

Hartley had made it a four-point lead with a basket with 3.1 seconds left.

 

The Mercury led late in the game, though Washington got 25 points off 20 Mystics turnovers.

 

In the other contest, the Los Angeles Sparks stayed even with Las idle Vegas just.a half-game behind idle Seattle by edging the Dallas Wing 

 

 Dietrick said of the turnaround in the second half, “We were really aggressive, we were punching back, and we were making things difficult for them. That’s when the tide turn.”

 

Sylvia Fowles is still sidelined with a calf injury for Minnesota.

 

Second-year pro Naphessa Collier, the reigning rookie of the year out of UConn, had 18 points and eight rebounds, while Duke grad Lexi Brown had 17 points, and recently-graduated UConn star Crystal Dangerfield scored 14.

 

Damiris Dantas had eight points and nine rebounds.

 

In the other game of the night, Los Angeles in the fourth quarter rallied from a 10-point deficit and stayed even with idle Las Vegas just a half-game behind idle Seattle with a narrow 84-81 win over the Dallas Wing, which fell to ninth but very much still in the playoff hunt.

 

In leading the Sparks to their seventh straight win, former Tennessee sensation Candace Parker scored 22 points and grabbed 14 rebounds, while Brittney Sykes scored 23, Nneka Ogwumike scored 14, and  Chelsea Gray scored 12.

 

Parker also dealt six assists and Ogwumike dealt five.

 

On Dallas, former Notre Dame star Arike Ogunbowale scored 20 while Irish alum Marina Mabrey scored 15, and former Duke star Allisha Gray scored 13.

 

The Sparks also dedicated the day on the birthday of the late NBA great Kobe Bryant, who was killed with his daughter Gianna and several others in a tragic helicopter crash in January while commuting to his daughter’s basketball game.

 

It was two straight wins in which the Sparks had to fight back to triumph.

 

“…it’s actually good for us,” Sparks second-year coach Derek Fisher said of the two tight games. “We really need these experiences to connect to that type of mentality (Bryant’s black mamba) of outworking the opponent no matter how it looks.

 

Bryant, even more so in retirement, had become a big advocate of the WNBA.

 

“I thought we competed hard,” said Wings coach Brian Agler. “I thought we put ourselves into position and that’s what you want to do. We had our chances but didn’t have the veterans to make veterans plays and that was the difference in this game.”

 

Looking Ahead

 

On Tuesday, the Chicago Sky plays the New York Liberty looking to stay close to the top of the standings, while Las Vegas meets Dallas, and Indiana meets Seattle for the second time in less than a week after the Fever upset the Storm in their last meeting.

 

On Wednesday, Washington and Atlanta meet in a must win for both squads. That game will air on ESPN2. Los Angeles and Minnesota meet at 8 p.m. on the CBS Sports Network before the night is wrapped up with Connecticut and Phoenix meeting at 10 also on the CBS Sports Network. 

 

The Sun continue to be revitalized after losing their first five. In Saturday’s win over New York in their last outing, Alyssa Thomas had 25 points while Dwanna Bonner had 14 points and 12 rebounds.

 

Brian January scored 11.

 

And that’s the report.

 

Guru’s WNBA Report: Indy Stuns Seattle while Las Vegas Tops Connecticut and Chicago Handles New York

By Mel Greenberg @womhoopsguru

 

The shocker of Thursday night came with the upset of the Indiana Fever taking down the front running Seattle Storm 90-84 while the Chicago Sky stayed with the upper tier in the standings, beating the lowly New York Liberty 101-85, and the Las Vegas Aces moved back within a game of first by stopping the recent momentum of Connecticut Sun 99-78 on the WNBA’s daily triple card at the IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla., near Tampa/St. Petersburg.

 

Standings wise, the win over Seattle (11-2) by Indy (5-7) moved the Fever a game behind sixth place Phoenix, which was idle.

The Storm, off to their best start in history, had won nine straight but were outrebounded 46-30 in this one.

 

The failure of Connecticut (5-8) to trigger upsetting Las Vegas (9-3) left the Sun in eighth place amidst a big logjam for the final of the eight playoff spots that run from Phoenix (6-6) to Indy to the Sun inside the loop and continuing through the Washington Mystics (4-7) and Dallas Wings (4-8).

 

Mathematically, the Atlanta Dream (2-10) are alive fofr the postseason but 2.5 games down from Connecticut, while New York (1-11) rides in the standings caboose.

 

As for the Indy game, Kennedy Burke’s 23 points, a career-high, off 7-for-14 from the field was enough to somewhat offset the monster 35 points that Notre Dame alum Jewell Loyd produced for Seattle.

Chicago won this game without Tiffany Mitchell, though Burke did more than make up the difference.

 

Kelsey Mitchell threw down 17 points for the Fever, while Natalie Achonowa, another Irish alum, scored 14, rookie Julie Allemand scored 12 and dealt eight assists, Teaira McCowan had 10 points and nine rebounds, and former Temple standout Candice Dupree had six points, three assists, and 10 rebounds.

 

After Loyd on Seattle, the reliable Breanna Stewart scored 18, and Natasha Howard scored 11. Veteran Sue Bird, recently returned from a bone bruise in her knee, did not play.

 

In the Chicago game, former UConn star Azura Stevens had 25 points for the Sky, Allie Quigley and Courtney Vandersloot each scored 19, while Vandersloot also dealt 10 assists, and rookie Ruthie Hebard out of Oregon scored 11.

 

New York’s Jazmine Jones scored 18, Kia Nurse got 14 of her 17 points in the second half,  Kiah Stokes scored a season-high 14 and grabbed nine rebounds, Layshia Clarendon scored 12, and Amanda Zahui B scored 11.

 

It was the most points on the season for the Liberty in being saddled with another loss and struggling with the additional loss of number one draft pick Sabrina Ionescu, who injured her ankle in the third game.

 

The Sky, who owned the game, put it away early in the fourth quarter with a 6-0 run that upped the lead to 20 points before New York sliced the deficit back to 13 points.

 

In the nightcap, Las Vegas led by as much as 23 in coming off a setback Tuesday to Chicago on the final play of the game.

 

Kayla McBride and A’ja Wilson combined for 46 points for Las Vegas, McBride with a season-high shooting 9-for-10 from the field, none a three-pointer, and 7-for-7 from the line, while Wilson scored 21 and grabbed seven rebounds.

 

Dearica Hamby off the bench scored 15 and Angel McCoughtry scored 14.

 

On the Connecticut side, Alyssa Thomas and Briann January each scored 15, and DeWanna Bonner added 10. Alyssa Thomas also grabbed seven rebounds and dealt seven assists.

 

Looking Ahead

 

On Friday night, the triple-game card has Atlanta and Los Angeles tipping off at 7, followed by Washington and Dallas at eight, and finishing with a CBS Sports Network broadcast at 10 of Minnesota and Phoenix.

 

Saturday’s action has Seattle and Las Vegas in a 1-2 showdown at 3 p.m. on ABC, which is Channel 6 here in Philadelphia. Indiana will try to build off the Seattle win facing Chicago at 5 on the CBS Sports Network, while New York and Connecticut, also on CBSSN, face each other at 7 in what could be considered a must-win for the Sun.

 

The weekend on Sunday finishes with Atlanta and Minnesota at 4 on a twitter cast, followed by Dallas and Vegas at 6 on Facebook, and Phoenix and Washington at 8.

 

And that’s the report.