Sports
Wilson, Clark Put Up Record-Breaking Numbers in Midweek WNBA Action – Just Women's Sports
Follow
Dee Lab
Jul 11, 2024
Around the WNBA, big-name players A’ja Wilson, Kahleah Copper, Caitlin Clark, and Angel Reese made good use of Wednesday’s jam-packed five-game schedule, kicking off a pre-All-Star Weekend campaign that promises not to disappoint.
A post shared by Just Women’s Sports (@justwomenssports)
Two-time MVP A’ja Wilson was the star of the show yesterday, throwing down epic numbers in one of her most successful performances so far this season
Wilson registered a 24-point, 20-rebound double-double in the Aces’ 84-79 win over Seattle, marking the six-time All-Star’s first-ever 20/20 game.
Storm guard Jewell Loyd’s 28 points led the game, but between Wilson’s numbers and fellow Ace Jackie Young’s 27 points, Vegas managed to leapfrog fifth-place Seattle to secure a fourth-place spot in the WNBA standings.
At the top of the table, the Liberty beat the Sun 71-68 to oust Connecticut from the pair’s previous tie for first in the standings.
2024 WNBA All-Star DeWanna Bonner’s 22 points led the Sun, while Liberty guard Sabrina Ionescu sank 21 points alongside Breanna Stewart’s 18-point, 14-rebound double-double to extend New York’s record to 18-4 on the season.
And in Phoenix, the Mercury dominated the last-place Wings 100-84 behind Kahleah Copper’s 32 points — the most drained by any player that day. Yet despite double-doubles from both Teaira McCowan and Arike Ogunbowale, Dallas fell to 5-18 on the season with the loss.
Fever star Caitlin Clark owned Indiana’s stat sheet yesterday with 29 points and 13 assists, becoming the first player in WNBA or NBA history to drop 25+ points, five rebounds, 10+ assists, five steals, and three blocks in a single game.
Clark’s effort wasn’t enough to hold off the otherwise struggling Mystics, however, who stunned the Fever 89-84 behind a monster 26 points from Ariel Atkins.
Chicago’s rookies joined forces to lift the Sky over the Dream 78-69, as Kamilla Cardoso added her own double-double to teammate Angel Reese’s record-extending 14th.
This season, Reese and Cardoso have combined to average just under 20 rebounds per game so far this season. If that metric holds, they’ll make WNBA history with the highest average for any duo in a single season.
With All-Star Weekend tipping off one week from today, only 15 regular season games remain before the WNBA’s scheduled Olympic break.
Whether they currently sit in first or last place, all 12 teams will want to hit the ground running when play resumes on August 15th.
Start your morning off right with Just Women’s Sports’ free, 5x-a-week newsletter.
JWS Staff
Jul 16, 2024
This week, JWS podcast host Claire Watkins breaks down the days leading up to the first USWNT Olympic send-off friendly, discussing player performances, things that worked well on the pitch, and what still needs developing as coach Emma Hayes’s team moves towards a crucial Olympic competition set to will dictate the future of the team.
She then sets her sights on the WNBA, previewing WNBA All-Star Weekend and chatting with Gatorade Women’s Basketball Player of the Year Joyce Edwards alongside Dallas Wings forward Satou Sabally.
Subscribe to The Late Sub to never miss an episode.
Dee Lab
Jul 16, 2024
The USWNT’s last tune-up match before the Olympics has arrived, with the FIFA world No. 5 US looking for an 18th-straight all-time win over No. 44 Costa Rica tonight at Washington, DC’s Audi Field.
Just three days after a redemptive 1-0 victory over No. 29 Mexico, head coach Emma Hayes’s Paris-bound roster appears to be finding its stride. Calling Saturday’s win “a step in the right direction,” Hayes went on to say, “I think we’re only scratching the surface. I think there’s a lot of layers to go from everyone.”
With their first Olympic group stage game against No. 64 Zambia slated for July 25th, the new-look USWNT — which features the youngest roster in 16 years — is working to define its style of play.
While the USWNT’s signature ability to score in transition remains a strong point, the team also acknowledged their shaky first half on Saturday, with midfielder Rose Lavelle commenting that they’re “working on being a little more tactically flexible… We’re trying to, as a group, learn how to adjust on the fly and be a little smarter with our adjustments during the games.”
The patience required to choose their moments, along with the team’s ability to read and anticipate each other’s movements, is clutch to increasing effectiveness in the areas where the USWNT appeared most disjointed against Mexico.
At stake is an Olympic podium finish, where the US hopes to improve on their bronze medal performance in Tokyo — but the team also aims to make a splash amidst their increasingly sophisticated opponents.
If improving offensive unity and production is tonight’s goal, Las Ticas could provide the ideal matchup: In their 17 previous meetings, the USWNT has outscored Costa Rica 90-2 overall.
That said, Costa Rica has switched things up since the sides last met in July 2022, with the US defeating the Central American squad 3-0 in the Concacaf Championship semifinal. Las Ticas competed in the 2023 World Cup and reached the Gold Cup quarterfinals earlier this year, where they narrowly fell to No. 8 Canada in extra time.
Costa Rica is captained by 30-year-old Angel City midfielder Rocky Rodriguez, the lone NWSL player on their roster and, in 2015, the first Costa Rica national to ever score in a Women’s World Cup.
In addition to maintaining a perfect record against Costa Rica, the USWNT will look to extend their current unbeaten streak to nine, which includes three shutouts in Hayes’s first three matches at the helm.
Expect some hydration breaks due to DC’s scorching temperatures during tonight’s 7:30 PM ET match, airing live on TNT and streaming on Peacock.
TruTV and Max will simultaneously air the first-ever USWNT altcast, hosted by retired USWNT star Sam Mewis, former USWNT captain Becky Sauerbrunn, and Men in Blazers founder Roger Bennett.
Dee Lab
Jul 16, 2024
With Olympic soccer kicking off in just over a week, the USWNT isn’t the only national squad prepping for the podium with a series of pre-Paris matchups. Both international friendlies and important qualifiers are on the docket, with several European teams competing for a spot in the UEFA Women’s EURO 2025.
Regardless of the stakes, these performances might provide some insight into what the USWNT can expect once the Summer Games begin.
Of the 12 Olympic teams, recent outings from FIFA world No. 1 Spain and No. 4 Germany featured the most shocking outcomes.
Despite dominating possession behind an opening goal from 2023 Ballon d’Or winner Aitana Bonmatí, the 2023 World Cup winners fell 2-1 to No. 30 Czechia in Friday’s Euros qualifier — their first loss of 2024. They managed to bounce back on Tuesday, however, beating Belgium 2-0 to finish out the league stage on top with 15 points.
Spain heads into the Summer Games aiming to become the first women’s team to win a World Cup and Olympic gold back-to-back, though they’ll need to reclaim their composure to achieve that feat in the face of an Olympic group that includes Japan, Nigeria, and Brazil.
No. 2 France took down No. 6 Sweden 2-1 in Friday’s Euro qualifier, but flipped the script on Tuesday with a 3-1 loss to last-place No. 25 Republic of Ireland, who notched their first win. However, thanks to England’s 0-0 draw with Sweden — also on Tuesday — France still topped their qualifying group with 12 points. Les Bleus will look for more consistent results going into the Olympics, where they’re set to face Colombia, New Zealand, and Guinea in the group stage.
But it was Germany who stumbled the hardest, losing out 3-0 to No. 14 Iceland in their own Friday qualifier. After the match, Germany’s head coach Horst Hrubesch didn’t mince words.
“We have to assert ourselves from the start in the individual battles. The way we played just wasn’t good,” Hrubesch told reporters. “We deserved to lose. We handed them all three goals on a plate.”
Tuesday also saw improvement for Germany, as they routed Austria 4-0 to claim first place in the group standings with 15 points.
But the earlier loss was still foreboding for this German squad. The two-time world champions fell to 3-2 to Zambia just weeks before the 2023 World Cup, before failing to advance past the World Cup group stage for the first time in the tournament’s history. Germany also faces some tough Olympic group stage competition, battling Australia and the USWNT before crossing paths with Zambia once again.
Defending Olympic champs FIFA World No. 8 Canada defeated No. 12 Australia 2-1 on Saturday, with KC Current forward Nichelle Prince and ex-Gotham striker Evelyne Viens both scoring in the friendly. Canada will play world No. 36 Nigeria in a closed-door friendly on Wednesday before kicking off their Olympic campaign against New Zealand on July 25th.
For their part, No. 28 New Zealand drew 1-1 in a friendly with No. 64 Zambia on Saturday, while non-Olympic-bound Ecuador handed No. 22 Colombia a 2-1 send-off loss.
Claire Watkins
Jul 15, 2024
The New York Liberty head into the last week of regular play prior to WNBA All-Star Weekend — and the subsequent Olympic break — firmly ahead of the pack with the WNBA’s best regular season record, becoming the first team this season to reach 20 wins on Saturday.
With Breanna Stewart briefly sidelined, Sabrina Ionescu led the Liberty to a two-game sweep of the Chicago Sky, topping the score sheet in both games. Ionescu is currently averaging 19.4 points per game, the highest in her career (not including her three-game rookie year).
The Aces continued climbing the table behind A’ja Wilson’s record-breaking run, finishing the weekend in third with a record of 16-7. On Sunday, Wilson became the first player in WNBA history to register three consecutive 25-point, 15-rebound performances.
With Sunday’s 89-77 victory over the Mystics, Las Vegas has won 10 of their last 11 games following the return of starting point guard Chelsea Gray. The third-place Aces are now nipping at the heels of the Liberty and second-place Connecticut Sun (18-5), with the Minnesota Lynx and Seattle Storm tied for fourth at 16-8.
A post shared by Just Women’s Sports (@justwomenssports)
Amidst the looming Olympic break, further down in the WNBA standings, sixth-place Phoenix dropped to 12-12 on a two-game skid, while Indiana won eight of their last 10 games to capture seventh.
Eighth-place Chicago currently holds onto the final playoff spot, with double-double machine Angel Reese boosting the Sky’s stats despite back-to-back losses.
Speaking of double-doubles, Reese’s record-breaking double-double streak came to an end after Saturday’s loss to the Liberty.
A frontrunner for WNBA Rookie of the Year, Reese finished with eight points and 16 rebounds against New York, falling just a couple points short of what would have been her 16th-straight double-double. The LSU grad’s record stands as the longest double-double streak in WNBA history, surpassing previous record-holder Candace Parker by three games.
Regular season WNBA play extends through Wednesday, with all eyes turning to the 2024 WNBA All-Star Game this upcoming weekend. The highly anticipated matchup between the US Olympic squad and WNBA All-Stars tips off on Saturday, July 20th in Phoenix.
top stories
Women's Sports Win Big at 2024 ESPY Awards
Macario Withdraws from Olympics Ahead of USWNT Send-Off Games
USWNT Looks to Extend Winning Streak in Final Olympic Send-Off
Liberty, Aces Surge Ahead of WNBA All-Star Weekend
USWNT Tops Mexico in 1st Olympic Send-Off Game
Watch
The One Where She Retires | Kelley on the Street
5 minutes 16 seconds
Start your morning off right with Just Women’s Sports’ free, 5x-a-week newsletter.
Follow
Follow
© 2024 Just Women’s Sports Inc.
Start your morning off right with Just Women’s Sports’ free, 5x-a-week newsletter.