WNBA Notes

Published on July 20, 2004 under Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) News Release

SCORING DROUGHT
All six teams in the Eastern Conference continue to jockey for position with two games separating the first place Fever (12-10) from the last place Mystics (9-11). This closeness of competition has created an additional unusual occurrence – every single team in the East is being outscored by the opposition on the year.

Team W L Pct GB Pts OPts Dif.
Indiana 12 10 .545 --- 1440 1443 -3
Charlotte 10 10 .526 1.0 1226 1267 -41
Connecticut 11 11 .500 1.0 1511 1533 -22
New York 11 11 .476 1.0 1431 1457 -26
Detroit 10 11 .476 1.5 1463 1484 -21
Washington 9 11 .450 2.0 1381 1406 -25

THE SHIRT OFF THEIR BACKS
They are anchoring the two most efficient offenses in the WNBA, and Los Angeles' Lisa Leslie and Phoenix's Diana Taurasi also sit atop the WNBA's jersey sales charts. New York's Becky Hammon is third, followed by the Sparks' Teresa Weatherspoon and the Seattle Storm's Sue Bird.

PUSHING 4 Gs
Los Angeles Sparks center Lisa Leslie is a few games away from establishing the WNBA's 4,000-point club. Heading into this weekend's action, the 6-5 Leslie has 3,919 points in her seven plus year career.

Player Gms Pts
Lisa Leslie 225 3,964
Tina Thompson 218 3,457
Andrea Stinson 237 3,267
Katie Smith 178 3,253
Sheryl Swoopes 184 3,148

PUSHING 3 Gs
Washington Mystics forward Chamique Holdsclaw is a few games away from joining the five current members of the 3,000 point club listed above. She is on pace to be the fastest player to reach the 3,000 point plateau as well as the youngest player to reach that mark. Holdsclaw is currently 26-years, 11-months and 11-days old.

Fastest To 3,000
Player 3000Gm
Chamique Holdsclaw 163*
Katie Smith 167
Lisa Leslie 172
Sheryl Swoopes 175
Tina Thompson 195
Andrea Stinson 211

* Projected



Two other players could crack the 3,000 mark by season's end – New York's Vickie Johnson and Los Angeles' Mwadi Mabika – but both would have to pick up their scoring averages for the rest of the season. The more likely scenario is that both will cross the 3,000 point plateau in early 2005.

Player Gms Pts
Chamique Holdsclaw 159 2,924
Jennifer Gillom (ret) 216 2,896
Vickie Johnson 235 2,794
Mwadi Mabika 228 2,715

STREAKING
The Minnesota Lynx are in possession of the longest current winning streak in the league having run off five in a row. That ties the team's longest winning streak in team history originally set from June 5 – 17, 2000. Four teams have had six game winning streaks this season – Los Angeles, New York, Seattle and Connecticut.

DRAFT OVERSIGHTS
Every season, there are players that go undrafted that end up making a difference in the WNBA, and three of the most notable oversights in league history are currently ranked in the top-15 in scoring – Mercury guard Anna DeForge (15.1, 10th), Sparks forward Mwadi Mabika (14.5, 11th) and Liberty guard Becky Hammon (13.0, 13th). All three players are also trying to top Mabika's 16.8 points per game scoring average from 2002, which is the high water mark for a an undrafted player.

Mabika joined the Sparks in 1997 after participating in Los Angeles' preseason tryout. Hammon was signed by the league and assigned to New York in 1999 and DeForge was assigned to the Shock by the league prior to the 2000 season.

Highest Scoring Average By An Undrafted Player*
Player Year Team Ppg
Mwadi Mabika 2002 Los Angeles 16.8
Anna DeForge 2004 Phoenix 15.1
Mwadi Mabika 2004 Los Angeles 14.5
Latasha Byears 1998 Sacramento 14.2
Mwadi Mabika 2003 Los Angeles 13.8
Becky Hammon 2004 New York 13.0

* In the early years of the WNBA, some players were allocated to their teams prior to the WNBA draft. These players were the cream of the crop – the Lisa Leslies, Cynthia Coopers, Sheryl Swoopes, etc. – and would have been drafted had they been eligible for the draft. Allocated players are not eligible for the above list.

Women's National Basketball Association Stories from July 20, 2004

• WNBA Notes - WNBA
• Sacramento Monarchs Weekly Update - Sacramento Monarchs
• Tamika Catchings Receives Community Assist Award For June - WNBA
• Connecticut Sun update - Connecticut Sun
• WNBA Storylines - WNBA

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.