Riquna Williams Joins Skylar Diggins and Plenette Pierson on Boost Mobile WNBA All-Star 2015 Team
July 23, 2015 - Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA)
Tulsa Shock News Release
NEW YORK, July 23, 2015 - Guards Riquna Williams of the Tulsa Shock and Kayla McBride of the San Antonio Stars, along with center Jantel Lavender of the Los Angeles Sparks, have been named by WNBA President Laurel J. Richie to replace three injured players in Boost Mobile WNBA All-Star 2015 on Saturday, July 25 at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn.
Williams, McBride, and Lavender will all be making their WNBA All-Star debuts, filling the spots on the Western Conference roster vacated by Minnesota Lynx guards Seimone Augustus and Lindsay Whalen and Tulsa Shock guard Skylar Diggins. Augustus, who has missed the last three games with a knee injury, and Diggins, who suffered a season-ending knee injury on June 28, had been selected as starters by fans during WNBA All-Star Balloting 2015 presented by Boost Mobile. Whalen, who was poked in the eye during a game at Tulsa on July 19, was picked as a reserve by the Western Conference head coaches.
Western Conference All-Star head coach Sandy Brondello of the Phoenix Mercury will determine the replacements for Augustus and Diggins in the starting lineup.
Boost Mobile WNBA All-Star 2015, featuring the Eastern Conference All-Stars against the Western Conference All-Stars, will be nationally televised by ABC at 3:30 p.m. ET. Individual tickets start at $16 and can be purchased at Ticketmaster.com, by dialing 800-745-3000 or by visiting the Mohegan Sun Box Office.
Williams, a member of the WNBA All-Rookie Team in 2012 and the league's Sixth Woman of the Year in 2013, owns the WNBA single-game scoring record (51 points at San Antonio on Sept. 8, 2013). Now in her fourth WNBA season, Williams ranks second on the Shock in scoring (14.7 ppg) behind Diggins and shares the team lead in steals (1.6 spg).
McBride, a unanimous selection to the 2014 WNBA All-Rookie Team after being the No. 3 overall pick in WNBA Draft 2014 presented by State Farm, is leading the Stars in scoring (14.0 ppg) for the second consecutive year. She plays alongside point guard and fellow All-Star Danielle Robinson.
Lavender has excelled for the Sparks, starting all 15 games and averaging career highs in scoring (14.9 ppg) and rebounding (9.1 rpg, sixth in the league).
Below are the rosters for Boost Mobile WNBA All-Star 2015:
BOOST MOBILE WNBA ALL-STAR 2015 ROSTERS (alphabetical)
EASTERN CONFERENCE ALL-STARS
Head Coach: Pokey Chatman (Chicago Sky)
Player Team Position Ht. DOB From Yrs. Exp.
Alex Bentley^ Connecticut Sun Backcourt 5-7 10/27/90 Penn State 2
Kelsey Bone^ Connecticut Sun Frontcourt 6-4 12/31/91 Texas A&M 2
Tamika Catchings* Indiana Fever Frontcourt 6-1 7/21/79 Tennessee 13
Tina Charles* New York Liberty Frontcourt 6-4 12/5/88 Connecticut 5
Marissa Coleman^ Indiana Fever Backcourt 6-1 1/4/87 Maryland 6
Elena Delle Donne* Chicago Sky Backcourt 6-5 9/5/89 Delaware 2
Stefanie Dolson^ Washington Mystics Frontcourt 6-5 1/8/92 Connecticut 1
Angel McCoughtry* Atlanta Dream Frontcourt 6-1 9/10/86 Louisville 6
Emma Meesseman^ Washington Mystics Frontcourt 6-4 5/13/93 Belgium 2
Cappie Pondexter Chicago Sky Backcourt 5-9 1/7/83 Rutgers 9
Shoni Schimmel* Atlanta Dream Backcourt 5-9 5/4/92 Louisville 1
WESTERN CONFERENCE ALL-STARS
Head Coach: Sandy Brondello (Phoenix Mercury)
Player Team Position Ht. DOB From Yrs. Exp.
Seimone Augustus*@Minnesota Lynx Backcourt 6-0 4/30/84 LSU 9
Sue Bird Seattle Storm Backcourt 5-9 10/16/80 Connecticut 13
DeWanna Bonner^ Phoenix Mercury Backcourt 6-4 8/21/87 Auburn 6
Skylar Diggins*@ Tulsa Shock Backcourt 5-9 8/2/90 Notre Dame 2
Candice Dupree* Phoenix Mercury Frontcourt 6-2 8/16/84 Temple 9
Brittney Griner* Phoenix Mercury Frontcourt 6-8 10/18/90 Baylor 2
Jantel Lavender** Los Angeles Sparks Frontcourt 6-4 11/12/88 Ohio State 4
Kayla McBride** San Antonio Stars Backcourt 5-11 6/25/92 Notre Dame 1
Maya Moore* Minnesota Lynx Frontcourt 6-0 6/11/89 Connecticut 4
Nneka Ogwumike Los Angeles Sparks Frontcourt 6-2 7/2/90 Stanford 3
Plenette Pierson^ Tulsa Shock Frontcourt 6-2 8/31/81 Texas Tech 12
Danielle Robinson San Antonio Stars Backcourt 5-9 5/10/89 Oklahoma 4
Lindsay Whalen@ Minnesota Lynx Backcourt 5-9 5/9/82 Minnesota 11
Riquna Williams** Tulsa Shock Backcourt 5-7 5/28/90 Miami (Fla.) 3
* denotes starter, as voted by the fans
@ denotes injured/unable to play
^ denotes first-time All-Star selection
** denotes replacement player added to roster by WNBA President Laurel J. Richie
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Women's National Basketball Association Stories from July 23, 2015
- WNBA Approves Relocation of Shock from Tulsa to Dallas-Fort Worth - WNBA
- Sparks Center Jantel Lavender Named to Her First WNBA All-Star - Los Angeles Sparks
- Riquna Williams Joins Skylar Diggins and Plenette Pierson on Boost Mobile WNBA All-Star 2015 Team - Tulsa Shock
- Kayla McBride Named Injury Replacement for WNBA All-Star 2015 - San Antonio Stars
- Injury Replacements Named for Boost Mobile WNBA All-Star 2015 - WNBA
- First Place Liberty Wraps Road Trip with 59-53 Win at Los Angeles - New York Liberty
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