Aussies in WNBA: Bec Allen re-joins the New York Liberty
Lynx the lone undefeated team
The Minnesota Lynx won the thrilling battle of the undefeated teams, as Renee Montgomery hit a late 3 pointer in a nail-biting match to get the Lynx over the line against the Los Angeles Sparks.
https://twitter.com/WNBA/status/745640161753579521
The Lynx are now the only undefeated team in the league with 13 straight wins, and will continue to break their own records they are setting each week if they keep it up. The Sparks and Lynx will meet again this Friday (US time) in what will be another absolute thriller.
Players of the Week
For the third time this season, New York Liberty's Tina Charles received the honours of Eastern Conference Player of the Week.
Charles leads the scoring in the WNBA with 22 points per game and is equal top for rebounding with 9.8 per game. Charles made a career high 32 points in the Liberty's win over the Connecticut Sun, alongside her 6 rebounds and 4 assists. Charles then had a phenomenal game on the road against Indiana Fever, with 26 points, 15 rebounds and 6 assists in their 78-75 win.
https://twitter.com/WNBA/status/745678161350893569
The ever-great Candace Parker earned her second Player of the Week award from the Western Conference.
Parker had a solid week with 17 points, 7 boards and 5 assists in the Sparks' win over Chicago Sky, and then backed it up with 24 points, 11 rebounds and 4 assists in their 6 point win over Phoenix. Parker was kept unusually quiet in the tough loss to the Lynx, and will be something she will be looking to salvage as she prepares to face the Lynx again in the coming days.
https://twitter.com/WNBA/status/744299935365988352
Aussie Update
Australian Opal Rebecca Allen flew out earlier this week to join the New York Liberty after missing the first 12 games due to her Opals training commitments. Allen joins a high-flying team that has won all 3 of its games in the past week and sits on top of the Eastern Conference standings.
The Liberty are thrilled to have one of Australia's most exciting young talents back with them for another season.
"Rebecca Allen is a versatile swing player who can open up the offence with her ability to score from the perimeter, while also committing to the defensive principles that define our team's identity...Rebecca was eager to return to New York and resume her career in the WNBA, and we are happy to have her in a Liberty uniform," said Team President Isiah Thomas.
Allen is yet to suit up as she has only just recently flown out, but hopefully we get to see her on the court in Friday's game against the Chicago Sky.
Erin Phillips and her Dallas Wings have had some dominant and thrilling displays, beating the Phoenix Mercury twice in games that went down to the wire.
Their first match went into triple over time, as the Wings managed to get the points on the board supported by the Mercury's foul trouble. Phillips had 6 points, 3 rebounds, and 2 assists in this heart stopping game.
Dallas went on to beat Penny Taylor's Phoenix again by 10 points on Tuesday, a quiet day for Phillips with 4 points, 1 rebound and 1 assist but getting the win would be the only thing on her mind.
Australia's Penny Taylor has had a tough week with the Mercury, securing 0 wins from their 3 games.
Firstly, they went down to the Sparks by 6 points, but they were encouraged by Taylor's 14 points, 2 rebounds and 3 assists but ultimately it was not enough.
The triple overtime loss to the Dallas Wings saw Taylor make a solid 21 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists as the Mercury fought hard to get the win with 4 of its stars sidelined with fouls and the rest with tired legs in what was a never-ending game.
Taylor is also now 2nd on the Mercury's all-time scoring list.
https://twitter.com/WNBA/status/744375079878856710
Meanwhile, Jenna O'Hea and her Seattle Storm have been battling away as they lost both games this week to the Dallas Wings and Minnesota Lynx. Abby Bishop has left the Seattle Storm to join her Australian Opals teammates in preparation for the Rio Olympics.
Top 20 WNBA players of all-time
This week, the WNBA released its top 20 players of all time to celebrate the seasons 20th annual season. Among the 60 nominees for the honour were Australia's own Penny Taylor and Lauren Jackson.
As a true testament to her legacy and reign in the WNBA, Jackson made it into the final top 20 players of all time.
See the full list of the WNBA's top 20 players of all time below:
Seimone Augustus Sue Bird Swin Cash Tamika Catchings Cynthia Cooper-Dyke Yolanda Griffith Becky Hammon Lauren Jackson Lisa Leslie Maya Moore Deanna Nolan Candace Parker Ticha Penicheiro Cappie Pondextor Katie Smith Sheryl Swoopes Diana Taurasi Tina Thompson Teresa Weatherspoon Lindsay Whalen