Minnesota Lynx Rookie Guard Seimone Augustus Named WNBA Player of the Week
Published on June 5, 2006 under Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA)
Minnesota Lynx News Release
Minneapolis/St. Paul - Seimone Augustus of the Minnesota Lynx was named WNBA Player of the Week for games played Monday, May 29 through Sunday, June 4. The first overall pick of the 2006 WNBA Draft, she earned the weekly honor faster than all but one player in WNBA history. Indiana Fever forward Tamika Catchings won the award in her very first week of WNBA action on June 2, 2002. The last rookie to earn the award was Alana Beard of the Washington Mystics who claimed the honor on Sept. 13, 2004. Only five rookies have ever been named WNBA Player of the Week: Tracey Reid (July 19, 1998 - Charlotte Sting), Chamique Holdsclaw (July 4, 1999 & Aug. 8, 1999 - Washington Mystics), Jackie Stiles (July 7, 2001 - Portland Fire), Catchings (June 2, 2002 & Aug. 11, 2002 - Indiana Fever) and Beard.
"It is definitely a great honor to be named the WNBA Player of the Week," said Augustus. "I just want to thank my teammates for all their hard work because basketball is a team sport, and without them I wouldn't have received this award."
Through three games last week, Augustus led the Lynx in scoring, tallying an average of 25.7 points while shooting 6-of-10 from three point range and 9-of-10 from the free throw line. She is riding a four-game streak with 20 or more points and has collected 20 or more in five of six starts to date.
Augustus poured in a season-high 31 points in a 92-87 win over the Indiana Fever on June 2, becoming only the sixth rookie in league history to score over 30 points, joining Sue Bird, Tamika Catchings, Jackie Stiles, Betty Lennox and Cappie Pondexter. The Indiana game capped a season-opening run during which she tallied 116 points, the most prolific five-game start to a career in WNBA history (Ruthie Bolton-Holifield - 106, Nikki McCray - 106, Tamika Catchings - 105, Yolanda Griffith - 99).
On May 31, Augustus led the Lynx past the Los Angeles Sparks with 26 points in a game that saw Minnesota score a league-record 114 points. The Lynx also tied the WNBA record with 15 three-point field goals and equaled the league's second best mark for largest margin of victory (43 points) and most points in the second half (63). Behind Augustus' shooting (10-of-16 shots, including 4-of-5 three-pointers), Minnesota also set a handful of team records, including most points in a half, scoring 63 after intermission.
Augustus leads the league in scoring with 22.7 points per game and ranks in the top 10 in both three-point accuracy (47.4 percent) and free throw accuracy (92.0 percent).
Other candidates for WNBA Player of the Week were Charlotte Sting's Kelly Mazzante, Connecticut Sun's Margo Dydek, Detroit Shock's Swin Cash, Indiana Fever's Tamika Whitmore, Sacramento Monarch's Nicole Powell, Seattle Storm's Lauren Jackson and Washington Mystic's DeLisha Milton-Jones.
Women's National Basketball Association Stories from June 5, 2006
- Meet the Monarchs Event this Sunday - Sacramento Monarchs
- Minnesota Lynx Rookie Guard Seimone Augustus Named WNBA Player of the Week - Minnesota Lynx
- Storm Weekly Forecast - Seattle Storm
- Sting Weekly Update - Charlotte Sting
- Sacramento Monarchs Weekly Update - Sacramento Monarchs
- Minnesota Lynx Seimone Augustus named WNBA Player of the Week - WNBA
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