The Guru WNBA and NCAAW Report: Minnesota Blasts Phoenix While Dallas Routs Seattle; Philly Summer League Moving Venues

 By Mel Greenberg @womhoopsgurux

This time a year ago the Minnesota Lynx was off to a long unbeaten start of the WNBA season before Napheesa Collier got injured and then hurt again in the playoffs while the Dallas Wings were struggling even with the addition of overall No. 1 pick Paige Bueckers out of then-NCAA champion UConn.

With each winning Monday night to start the Western Conference side of the annual intra-conference race to the championship Commissioner’s Cup final, a tip-of-the-hat deserves to go out to both for distinct reasons.

Minnesota (7-2) blasted host Phoenix 111-77 before 9,234 at the Mortgage Matchup Center handing the Mercury (2-8) a sixth-straight loss to a team that ruined the Lynx title aspirations in the semifinals.

Dallas (6-3) before a home crowd of 6,251 at College Park Center in suburban Arlington cruised to a 79-56 over the Seattle Storm (3-7).

The Lynx may not be as perfect as they were this time 12 months ago, but few expected them to do as well at this moment with Collier not due back from offseason surgery on both her ankles until sometime this month and needing to replace some key players lost in the expansion drafts of Portland and Toronto as well as free agency.

But they still have longtime coach Cheryl Reeve, the former Philadelphia area player out of South Jersey and in the Big 5 at La Salle with four WNBA titles and several other deep playoffs runs, including the title round in 2024 and last season’s performance marred by the interference of fate.

Reeve, who guided the USA to a record straight eighth gold medal in Paris in 2024, is set to be inducted in the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame later this month in Knoxville, Tenn.

In Monday’s triumph veteran Courtney Williams scored 30 points, shooting 13-of-20 from the field.

Then, there’s the addition of Olivia Miles, the overall number two pick out of Central New Jersey in April’s draft and a sterling collegiate career out of Notre Dame and TCU, who off her pro start has signaled the rookie-of-the-year race might be more competitive this summer.

Miles, who has already set some stat records, scored 19 with nine assists in having given Reeve ‘“a true point guard” in this season’s edition of the Lynx.

Unlike some of Phoenix’s recent losses in their dive, this was decided quickly with Minnesota racing to a 35-22 first-quarter lead and continue to grow on a 11-4 run at the outset of the next period and collecting 67 points by the half.

Additionally in the Lynx attack for the night Natasha Howard scored 11 points, and off the bench rookie Antonia Delaere scored 13 points, shooting 3-for-4 from deep in 24 minutes and rookie Anastasiia Olairi Kosu shot 4-for-6 from the field with six boards and 12 points.

Veteran Teaira McCowan, recently acquired for depth, also had six rebounds as did starter Nia Coffey.

For Phoenix former Rutgers star Kahleah Copper out of Philadelphia had 18 points, rookie Noemie Brochant scored 11, rookie Monique Akoa Makani scored 10 with five assists, rookie Jovana Nogic, a late signee out of Providence College scored eight off the bench, starter Natisha Mack grabbed 11 boards but veteran and former Maryland star Alyssa Thomas out of Harrisburg was held to six points, three rebounds and five assists.

To be fair, Phoenix has had to be a work in progress off roster adjustments.

“Our defense was terrific in the way we were supporting one another,” Reeve said. “We know teams are going to try to beat us at what we do, we were active, we got deflections, and we played well in transition.

“That’s one of the things we’re working on, being better off defensive rebounds, in transition off turnovers.”

From the Mercury side, coach Nate Tibbetts said, “There wasn’t a lot working all night. We were a step slow; it was a tough one.”

Wings Fly Over Storm

Part of the additions in the Dallas turnaround was a coaching change after one sesson in bringing longtime South Florida mentor Jose Fernandez and off of a 10-win summer combined with the previous season, winning the overall No. 1 pick in the lottery again and choosing Azzi Fudd, Bueckers’ former Huskies teammate.

But on Monday with some shooting struggles, reserve Aziaha James scored 18 points while Bueckers’ total of 10 points on the night all came in the first half when the Wings took a 36-35 lead at the break. She also had nine boards.

They built on that at the outset of the third with an 8-0 run and the overall attack was balanced with nine points each from starters Fudd, Arike Ogunbowale, Jessica Shepard, who also had eight boards, and Villanova’s all-time scorer Maddy Siegrist, the 2023 overall number three pick, who matched Bueckers on the boards.

Flau’jae Johnson, the overall No. 8 pick out of LSU, had 16 points and 10 boards for Seattle while Natisha Hiedeman had 11 points.

“I thought we kept them in front of us,” Fernandez said of the defense, “and we made them have to take contested shots.

“We had 18 offensive rebounds because when you miss that many shots …”

Clearing the Air in Indy

During Saturday’s blowout loss by Indiana at expansion Portland on national television, it looked like during a timeout that superstar rookie Caitlin Clark, whose had her worst two-game statistical performance on the end of the road trip and coach Stephanie White had strong differences of opinions sparking immediate social media commentary as snything else involving Clark in her three seasons as a pro.

On Monday the two responded during the media availability on an off day back in Indianapolis, the two addressed the react as much ado about nothing, as Shakespeare might pen.

“A lot of those things happen all the time, and I know there’s a camera on me, and that’s how it’s going to be,” Clarke said. “But there’s a lot of people out there in the media or on TV that they think they know a lot of things and they’re just blatantly wrong about a lot of things.

“It’s just another example of what everybody, all of you, want to blow up and make something that is just lost and not in reality,” the former Iowa star continued.

“When I got hurt at the Connecticut game last year, I bawled in Steph’s arms. That’s somebody I will ride for the rest of my life. People just sit on their phones all day, they don’t see those moments.”

White said, “I think what happened in that moment is I was challenging a player. It’s coaching, it’s what it is. And I don’t think it becomes an issue if you’re watching it in men’s sports most of the time.”

“ We’re both competitive, we’re both stubborn. We’re more alike than different and hopefully we continue to bring the best of each other.”

Part of this comes from the microscopic attention to the Fever’s 4-4 start after being considered a title contender with Clark, the 2024 rookie of the year, back from an injury-riddled second season playing just 13 games and last performing in mid-July.

Looking Ahead

On Tuesday, the East side begins Connecticut at Atlanta and Chicago at Washington, both at 7:30 p.m., while at 10 p.m. for both in the West Portland is at Golden State while Los Angeles hosts Las Vegas, with League Pass carrying all the games.

On Wednesday on the USA Net twin bill, Toronto visits New York at 7:30 p.m. in the East and Phoenix visits Seattle in the West at 10 p.m.

The Toronto game marks the first competition Tempo coach Sandy Brondello faces her former Liberty squad. 

Thursday’s twin bill on Amazon Prime has Atlanta at Indiana at 7:30 p.m. and Golden State at Minnesota at 9 p.m.

On Friday, ION and League Pass carry all three games; Connecticut at Chicago at 7:30 p.m., and Dallas at Los Angeles and Phoenix at Portland, both at 10 p.m.

On Saturday, ABC will air two West games in the afternoon: Seattle at Minnesota at 1 p.m. and Golden State at Las Vegas at 3 p.m. while in the East at night League Pass will air Washington at Atlanta at 6 p.m. followed by CBS and Paramount+ carrying Indiana at New York at 8 p.m.

For those new to paying attention to the WNBA, the league standings regarding playoff and seeds are combined without regard to the best teams in the East and West.

UPSHOT Leaders

With the new four-team UPSHOT League off until Wednesday with one game and one more later in the week, here’s a look at standings and schedule ahead.

Standings

Jacksonville 4-2

Greensboro 4-3

Savannah 4-3

Charlotte 1-5

 

Wednesday, 12 p.m. Jacksonville Waves at Charlotte Crown

Saturday, 4 p.m. Savannah Steel at Charlotte

 

Next year Baltimore and Nashville are set to join. The games are free on the league’s YouTube channel.

 

College Front

 

The Philadelphia/Suburban Women’s Summer Basketball League returns later this month with alterations.

 

Game nights will be Tuesday and Wednesday (sted Tue & Thurs) with an increase by one to nine teams and after a long stay games doubleheader games will be played on two courts with one bye at Plymouth Whitemarsh High on Germantown Ave. west of Joshua Road.

 

There will be a snack bar and air conditioning.

 

The draft was held last, and teams are undergoing the annual roster tweaking with further info coming here soon.

 

Good Luck Bernie

 

Monday night at George Washington in the nation’s capital we attended the Atlantic 10 farewell party for Bernadette McGlade, the retiring commissioner the past 18 years, who previously was the women’s basketball exec at the Atlantic Coast Conference and served among other places a two-year term heading the NCAA Women’s Basketball Committee.

 

Dan Lebovitz, a former men’s basketball assistant coach to the late John Cheyney at Temple, who also worked at the executive level at the Big East among other places, is the new commissioner.

 

Coming soon is the retirement of longtime Big East commissioner Val Ackerman, the first president of the WNBA, with a search under way to find her successor.

 

Conference Name Change

On July 1, the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (Rider, Fairfield, Quinnipiac…) will rebrand as the Metro Conference.

 

The league also announced a nine-team challenge series early in the season with the men’s and women’s teams of the America East.