The postseason has arrived in the WNBA and a few former Duke women’s basketball players are participating. The others are enjoying some time off and getting ready for the international season.

Let’s take a look at how the Duke alumni have done this season:

Alana Beard: She finished the regular season averaging 30.8 minutes per game. She scored 11.4 points per game and made 43.6% of her shots.

The LA Sparks have advanced to the Western Conference Finals with a sweep over the San Antonio Silver Stars. Beard started both games and averaged 32.5 minutes. She lit up the Silver Stars by averaging 17.5 points and shooting over 60% from the field.

The Western Conference Finals begin on Thursday, as the Sparks face the top team in the league, the Minnesota Lynx. Game 1 will be broadcast live on ESPN2.

Karima Christmas: After being traded to the Indiana Fever, she played in 16 games off the bench for the Eastern Conference Finals participant. She has not played in a playoff game yet, but the Finals begin on Friday night on ESPN2.

During the regular season, Christmas averaged just 2.9 points in 10.9 minutes with the Fever. In her final game on September 23rd, she scored ten points and hauled in seven rebounds in a Fever victory.

Mistie Mims: As a member of Eastern Conference finalist Connecticut Sun, she averaged eight points and 4.5 rebounds over 18.7 minutes (ten starts in 32 games).

Mims played in both games of the Eastern Conference semifinals, as the Sun swept the NY Liberty. So far in the postseason, she is averaging seven points and 4.5 rebounds in 16 minutes. Pretty similar to her regular season stats.

» Continue reading “Duke in the WNBA Update”

With about a month left in the WNBA season (and after spending a month off due to the Olympics), now is a great time to take a look at how the former Duke players are doing in the league.

Alana Beard has returned to form after two injury-riddled seasons. Now with the LA Sparks, she is averaging 10.3 points in 31.4 minutes. She has started all 24 games she has played in, as the Sparks have won nine in a row and have clinched a playoff spot in the Western Conference.

SportsPageMagazine.com has a great article on Beard‘s return.

Chante Black has started ten of the 21 games she has played in for the Tulsa Shock (who are just 1-10 on the road). She is averaging 3.4 points and 3.2 rebounds in 13.6 minutes per game.

Karima Christmas had played in seven games since being traded to the Indiana Fever (who are 15-9 and in second place in the Eastern Conference). She has averaged 2.3 points in just 7.1 minutes.

Monique Currie has started 18 of the Washington Mystics‘ 24 games. The Mystics are in last place in the Eastern Conference and are just 1-11 on the road. Currie is averaging 10.6 points and 3.5 rebounds over 23 minutes.

Her teammate on the Mystics, Jasmine Thomas, has started 13 of the 24 games. In twenty minutes, she is averaging 6.8 points , 2.1 rebounds, and 2.7 assists.

» Continue reading “Duke in the WNBA Update”

The WNBA season is in full gear and eight former Duke women’s basketball players are scattered across the league.

Alana Beard has gotten better as the WNBA season has rolled on. Five of her last seven games for the LA Sparks has resulted in double-figure scoring. In her last game (June 28th), she dished out ten assists while scoring 14 points. The Sparks sit in second place in the Western Conference at 10-6.

With the Tulsa Shock, Chante Black started five of their first six games. Since, she has started just one of the next five games. On June 26th, she scored eight points on 3-of-3 shooting over 23 minutes. Black also hauled in five rebounds. The Shock are in last place in the Western Conference at 2-12.

Karima Christmas was traded from Tulsa to Indiana and will play her first game with the Fever on Thursday (July 5th). Prior to the deal, she led the WNBA with 2.33 steals per turnover (14 steals to six turnovers). Christmas’ new team is in second place in the Eastern Conference at 8-5.

Monique Currie has tallied two 20-point games in her last five for the Washington Mystics. She is averaging 10.5 points and 4.3 rebounds per game for the last place team in the Eastern Conference (3-10).

Jasmine Thomas has started five games as a teammate of Currie’s on the Mystics. She has scored in double-figures just once this season and has struggled with her shot of late (just 14-for-56 which is 25%).

» Continue reading “Duke in the WNBA Update”

The WNBA season is underway and Duke has eight former players across the league. There are a few more roster spots open due to the Olympics (and many ladies will be leaving to play in London).

Alana Beard, who is finally healthy, had started all six games with her new team, the LA Sparks (who are 5-1). She has averaged 8.8 points, 2.7 rebounds, and 2.2 assists per game.

The Tulsa Shock, who are 0-6, have two former Blue Devils on their roster. Chante Black returns to the WNBA and has started five of their six games. She is averaging 2.7 PPG and 2.8 RPG. Karima Christmas has played in all six games (one start). She is averaging four points and 2.2 RPG.

The Washington Mystics again have two former Blue Devils, as they welcome back the fully-healthy Monique Currie. She has started all five games (1-4) and is averaging 12.4 PPG and four rebounds per game. Jasmine Thomas is back with the Mystics and is coming off the bench. She has averaged 7.4 PPG and two assists. Her best game was her last (June 3rd) when she scored 17 points on 6-of-9 shooting (3-for-4 from three point land).

Lindsey Harding is back with the Atlanta Dream, who is 2-4. She has started all six games and is averaging 13.7 PPG, 2.7 RPG, and 3.5 APG.

Mistie Mims returned to the WNBA and plays for the Connecticut Sun (4-1). She has played in all five games, averaging five points and four rebounds a game.

The Phoenix Mercury are 2-4 and brought back Krystal Thomas. She has played in two games and is averaging two points.

The WNBA regular season came to an end on Sunday, as two teams with former Duke Blue Devils on its roster are headed to the postseason. The Atlanta Dream locked up the third-seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs. They will face the Connecticut Sun in the semifinals. The Phoenix Mercury locked up the third-seed in the Western Conference and will begin play on Thursday against the Seattle Storm.

Here is the WNBA update for the former Blue Devils playing in the league from August 30-September 11:

Tuesday August 30th: Atlanta beat Indiana, 92-90. After starting the season 3-9, the defending Eastern Conference champs are once again one of the WNBA’s top teams. The Dream trailed 88-83 with a little over two minutes left. Sancho Lyttle’s jumper with 0.9 seconds left gave them the win over the first-place Fever. Lindsey Harding played 33 minutes and went 5-for-11 from the field with 11 points. She had six assists and two steals. Alison Bales played nine minutes off the bench and hauled in two rebounds.

Minnesota beat Washington, 73-56. The Mystics scored just six points in the third quarter after trailing just 36-33 at the half. It was the Mystics ninth straight loss. The Lynx had already clinched the Western Conference title. Jasmine Thomas cracked the starting lineup for the Mystics for the first time in her rookie season. She played 37 minutes but went just 2-for-11 (1-for-6 from the three-point line) from the field. She did have three rebounds and three assists (but she had four turnovers).

Phoenix beat Tulsa, 96-74 in a battle of two Blue Devils rookies. Krystal Thomas played the most minutes so far in her rookie season with the Mercury (16 minutes). She was 2-for-3 from the field. Karima Christmas played 13 minutes off the bench for the Shock, going 3-for-5 (six points).

Thursday September 1st: Washington beat Atlanta, 85-81 to break their nine-game losing streak. Matee Ajavon scored 11 of her 19 points in the fourth quarter. Monique Currie made her season debut after recovering from a torn left ACL. In 9:30 minutes, she had eight points and three rebounds. J.Thomas started her second straight game and went 5-for-14 with 12 points. She also had four rebounds, five assists, and two steals in the win.

Bales was back in the starting lineup for the Dream and went 4-for-8 (11 points) from the field in 29 minutes. She added six rebounds and two blocked shots. Harding played 38 minutes and went 4-for-13 (ten points). She had five rebounds and eight assists in the loss.

San Antonio beat Phoenix, 86-68. K. Thomas played almost ten minutes and went 1-for-2 from the field (three points).

Friday September 2nd: Atlanta beat Washington, 95-73. Bales had a career-high 15 points and her three 3-pointers in the fourth quarter helped the Dream pull away. In her second straight start, Bales was 6-for-7 from the field in 29 minutes. She also had five rebounds, two assists, and two blocked shots. Harding went just 2-for-5 from the field, but had seven rebounds and three steals.

J. Thomas scored a career-high 19 points (7-for-14) in her second straight start (28 minutes).

Seattle beat Tulsa, 78-72 in a comeback effort. Christmas played 14 minutes and scored nine points in the loss, but went just 3-for-10 from the field.

» Continue reading “WNBA End of Season Update”

The WNBA season was set to begin on Friday June 3rd. There are Duke women’s players speckled throughout the league, with this past season’s three seniors making WNBA teams. The Washington Mystics have four former Blue Devils: Alana Beard, Monique Currie (who is out with an injury), Jasmine Thomas, and Karima Christmas. Thomas and Christmas were drafted in April. Christmas had a very good preseason, as she scored 11 points in her first game (and five in her next). Thomas has struggled with her shot, as she was just 3-of-12 over two games. Beard has also struggled, but she is the veteran leader.

The Mystics also have two Maryland standouts, Marissa Coleman and Crystal Lagnhorne, so the ACC is well represented.

The Atlanta Dream have two former Blue Devils, Alison Bales and Lindsey Harding. Harding was recently traded to the Dream from the Mystics.

Krystal Thomas, another current Duke draft pick, made the Seattle Storm, a very veteran laden team. Thomas did not score a point during preseason play. If you follow Duke women’s basketball, that really isn’t a shock.

Check out more WNBA news:

A Second Round Christmas Gift Washington Mystics

Thomas Excited to Play for Hometown Team Washington Mystics

Mystics take youthful lineup into season opener The Washington Times

Seven Blue Devils to Open 2011 WNBA Campaign Friday GoDuke.com

Bales back and in best shape of career ESPN