It is the All-Star break for the WNBA, so now is probably the best time to drop in an update on the former Duke Blue Devils playing in the league. No former Dukies were named as WNBA All-Stars, but former Maryland star Crystal Langhorne was named as a reserve. She is the lone Washington Mystics representative. The WNBA All-Star Game can be seen live on ABC at 3:30pm ET on Saturday (July 23rd).
Mystics rookie Jasmine Thomas has been receiving more playing time over the last week and could help with the resurgence of one of the worst teams in the WNBA. Alana Beard may be back soon from injury and even Monique Currie (who was thought to miss the entire season) may return by the end of the season.
I forgot to mention in my previous WNBA update, that former Blue Devil Joy Cheek signed a 10-day contract with the Mystics (on June 24th) as the team received a medical hardship due to the injuries of former Dukies Alana Beard and Monique Currie. Cheek played in three games, recording three points, three rebounds, and one blocked shot.
Now on to the game updates:
Wednesday July 13th: The Atlanta Dream clobbered the NY Liberty 91-69. Lindsey Harding started, but scored just two points (1-for-6). She did haul in six rebounds and had two assists. Alison Bales came off the bench with two points (1-for-3) and six rebounds.
Friday July 15th: The Mystics lost to the Phoenix Mercury 78-64. Rookie Jasmine Thomas had 11 points (5-for-6) off the bench with one rebound, one assists, and two steals. Fellow rookie Karima Christmas had two points (2-for-2 from the free-throw line).
Saturday July 16th: The Dream beat the Chicago Sky 76-68. Both Harding and Bales were in the Dream’s starting lineup and both were impactful in the team’s victory. Harding collected 14 points (6-for-11), six rebounds, seven assists, and two steals. Bales had eight points (4-for-7) with eight rebounds, two assists, and five blocked shots.
The Seattle Storm lost to Minnesota, 76-68. Storm rookie Krystal Thomas played two minutes in the loss.
Sunday July 17th: The Mystics beat the LA Sparks, 89-85 in overtime. The Mystics outscored the Sparks 52-30 in the second half and 12-8 in OT. It was the second-largest comeback in the history of the WNBA. Jasmine Thomas had eight points (3-for-8) with three rebounds, two assists, and one steal. Karima came off the bench to play close to three minutes.
Tuesday July 19th: The Dream won 84-74 over the Indiana Fever. For the second straight game, both Harding and Bales started for the Dream. Harding was the Dream’s leading scorer for the game, tallying 19 points on 7-for-13 shooting. She also had five rebounds and five assists. Bales scored seven points (3-for-7), while hauling in five rebounds and blocking three shots.
The Storm lost to the Chicago Sky, 78-69. Krystal Thomas played a little over three minutes in the loss and recorded an assist.
Wednesday July 20th: The Dream beat the Mystics, 86-79. For the third straight game, both Harding and Bales started for the Dream. Harding scored 14 points (6-for-12) and contributed two assists. Bales was one point short of a double-double, as she scored nine points (3-for-9) and hauled in ten rebounds. She also had three blocks. In the Mystics loss, Jasmine Thomas played 20 minutes and score ten points (4-for-9). In 2:44, Karima had no stats, except for committing a foul.
In other WNBA news, former disgraced Olympian Marion Jones was cut by the Tulsa Shock.
Check out more WNBA news and watch their All-Star Game later this afternoon:
Young Stars Point to Bright Future WNBA
WNBA Roundtable: 15th Anniversary WNBA
Mystics hope big comeback against Sparks spurs season turnaround The Washington Post
Familiar Face on Dream eases Transition for Harding AJC.com
