WNBA Women's National Basketball Association

Diana Taurasi of the Phoenix Mercury Named WNBA Player of the Week

August 8, 2005 - Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) News Release


NEW YORK, AUGUST 8 - Diana Taurasi of the Phoenix Mercury was named the WNBA Player of the Week for her role in Phoenix's two victories last week. It is the first WNBA Player of the Week honor for Taurasi.

Taurasi, the 2004 WNBA Rookie of the Year, started her week by posting 12 points and six rebounds as Phoenix defeated Minnesota 70-64. On August 5, Taurasi flirted with a triple-double pouring in 27 points, achieving a career-high of nine rebounds and matching her season high with eight assists in Phoenix's 80-75 victory over Houston. Phoenix has won nine of its last 11 games and is only one game below .500 tying the team with the Los Angeles Sparks for the fourth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference. The Mercury has the advantage of playing six of its final nine games at home, where it is 7-4.

Taurasi is currently ranked fifth in the WNBA in scoring (16.5) and assists (4.7) and has scored 20 or more points on six different occasions this season.

Other candidates for WNBA Player of the Week were Charlotte's Sheri Sam, Connecticut's Nykesha Sales, Detroit's Deanna Nolan, New York's Becky Hammon, Los Angeles' Lisa Leslie, Sacramento's Yolanda Griffith and Washington's DeLisha Milton-Jones.

The WNBA tipped off its ninth season on Saturday, May 21, 2005 under the leadership of new President Donna Orender. The 2005 WNBA All-Star Game, which was played in front of a sellout crowd at Mohegan Sun Arena, saw the highest scoring game in WNBA history and culminated with a slam dunk by veteran All-Star Lisa Leslie. The ABC telecast reached more international viewers than ever as it was broadcast in 193 countries by 52 telecasters in 31 languages allowing the league's global fan base to witness all the action. WNBA programming is broadcast on ABC, ESPN, ESPN2 and NBA-TV. For more information, visit WNBA.com.

Check out the Women's National Basketball Association Statistics



Women's National Basketball Association Stories from August 8, 2005


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.


Sports Statistics from the Stats Crew
OurSports Central