Beard Named WNBA Player of the Week
Published on September 13, 2004 under Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) News Release
NEW YORK, September 13 â Alana Beard of the Washington Mystics was named the WNBA Player of the Week for games played Tuesday, September 7 through Sunday, September 12.
Beard ranked second in the WNBA in scoring average (22.3), third in steals (3.00), eighth in assists (4.0) and 12th in rebounding (5.7), while shooting 53.7 percent (29-for-54) from the field and 66.7 percent (4-for-6) from behind the three-point line. The Mystics (15-16) recorded a perfect 3-0 week and are currently tied for fourth place in Eastern Conference, just one game out of first place with three games remaining in the regular season. Beard is the first rookie to win the Player of the Week honor in over two years â Indiana's Tamika Catchings won the award on August 11, 2002 in the final week of the regular season (Catchings also won the award in the first week of the 2002 season on June 2). Beard is ranked third in the WNBA in steals per game (2.05) and averages 12.2 points, 4.0 rebounds and 2.5 assists on the season.
Beard began the week versus the Sacramento Monarchs' on September 7 by scoring 20 points, grabbing six rebounds, dishing out four assists and getting four steals in the Mystics' 67-63 victory. Her second game of the week came on September 9 against the New York Liberty, where she poured in 26 points, pulled down seven rebounds and handed out five assists in Washington's 71-59 win over New York. Three days later, on September 12, she scored a game-high 21 points against the Houston Comets, grabbed six rebounds and recorded four steals while shooting 66.7 percent from the field (10-for-15) in the Mystics' 75-63 victory.
Other candidates for WNBA Player of the Week were Charlotte's Charlotte Smith-Taylor, Houston's Tina Thompson, Phoenix's Diana Taurasi and San Antonio's LaToya Thomas.
Ratings for ABC's and ESPN2's telecasts of WNBA games are up 14 and 17 percent respectively from a year ago. The season-opening telecast featuring the Phoenix Mercury at the Connecticut Sun was the highest rated WNBA game (regular season or playoffs) ever on ABC, and the July 11 telecast featuring the Mercury at the New York Liberty was the highest rated WNBA regular season game ever on ESPN2. Total visits to the league's official web site, WNBA.com, have increased 10% over last season, with more than 4.5 million visits to date. For more information on the WNBA, visit WNBA.com.
Women's National Basketball Association Stories from September 13, 2004
- Beard Named WNBA Player of the Week - WNBA
- Mystics Messenger - Washington Mystics
- Mystics Alana Beard named WNBA's Player of the Week - Washington Mystics
- Charlotte Sting Weekly - Charlotte Sting
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