Aussies in WNBA: Taylor makes 1,000th assist
The Minnesota Lynx have made WNBA History with their 11-0 start to the season, surpassing their own record of 10 straight wins in 2012. The Los Angeles Sparks are close behind with a 10-0 record, beating their own franchise's best and helping to shape this season to be one of the highest standards we've seen in it's 20 year history.
Will we continue to see these two teams dragging in the wins until they eventually meet each other? No doubt next Tuesday's highly anticipated match up between the two at the Sparks' home court will be a must on the agenda to watch.
Who's performing well?
Washington Mystics' own Emma Meesseman was, for the first time in her career named the WNBA's Eastern Conference Player of the Week. The Belgium recruit made 23 points and 12 rebounds as the Mystics defeated Dallas Wings, and then made an honourable effort in their loss three days later to the undefeated Lynx with 19 points and 7 rebounds. Meesseman was also instrumental in the Mystic's triple-overtime win over the Connecticut Sun with 23 points.
Check out her highlights from the thriller match below:
https://twitter.com/WNBA/status/743141245933993984
Nneka Ogwumike was named Western Conference Player of the Week as the Sparks' forward was conducive in adding to their current perfect record with three double-doubles this week. In what can be described as a phenomenal effort, she managed 23 straight field goals in the Sparks' 3 games from June 7-14, smashing the current record of 10 out of the park. Her compelling performances have cemented her as a real contender in the race for the WNBA MVP Award.
https://twitter.com/WNBA/status/743156372825604096?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
Ogwumike set the tone for the week, with 18 points, 10 rebounds, 4 assists and 3 blocks as they beat the New York Liberty at home. She also made game highs of 32 points and 10 rebounds in the Sparks victory over Dallas. The forward kept hitting highs, with 27 points, 12 rebounds and 4 assists in the Sparks win over Chicago.
https://twitter.com/WNBA/status/743095932531675136
Aussie update
The Phoenix Mercury are hitting their strides with two recent victories over the San Antonio Stars and the Chicago Sky. Australia's Penny Taylor made a positive impact in both games. Most notably in the Mercury's win over the Stars, Taylor scored 14 points with 2 rebounds and 3 assists. In those 3 assists, Taylor reached a total of 1000 dimes for her WNBA career!
https://twitter.com/PhoenixMercury/status/741115686760521728
Erin Phillips again had a solid performance for the Dallas Wings, with 12 points in their 3 points loss to the Liberty. Phillips is playing her role well as Skylar Diggins slowly builds up her strength to regain her best form, and the Australian guard has contributed largely to the new franchise's resilient efforts.
The Seattle Storm have had a tough road, with two losses and one win in the past week putting them at a 4-7 record for the season so far. Jenna O'Hea continues to perform well, being an important contributor to the Storm's win over Indiana by 2 points as she registered 10 points and 2 steals.
WNBA pays respect to the community of Orlando
The WNBA has done a tremendous job in showing their respect and support for the victims and wider community of Orlando.
New York Liberty guard Shavonte Zellous shared her frightening story about the horrible incident. Zellous had a close call with her sister, as she was on her way to Pulse night club but a last minute call from her manager asking her to work the following morning changed her decision to go and she went home instead. Unfortunately, two of her friends were among the 49 killed in a devastating result. The WNBA franchises and fans have rallied behind Zellous and how brave she has been in speaking out for the LGBTQ community.
Many clubs in the WNBA have shown their support over the week for Zellous and the victims with moments of silence and games played in their honour.
https://twitter.com/minnesotalynx/status/742867868576940033
https://twitter.com/PhoenixMercury/status/742791251624267776