Publisher's Note: This week we're pleased to present
coverage of the WNBA debut of Lindsey Harding and Alison Bales - 1400
miles of driving was definitely worth it to be there in person! We've
published our interviews with Alison
and Lindsey and photos - we hope
you will enjoy this special coverage and that we can cover another WNBA
game in person soon. -Orin
Week 1 Recap
So far it's been a rough start for four of Duke's five graduates in
the WNBA, with their four teams still looking for a first win of the young
season.
The season opened Saturday with four Duke players' teams on the
schedule, but the only two players that saw action were rookies Lindsey
Harding and Alison Bales, making their WNBA debut. That game also was the
inaugural game of our DWHoops Challenge, with Alison's homestanding Fever
notching the 83-64 win. For more on the Lynx/Fever game, please see our
game recap, interviews with Alison and Lindsey, and photo gallery.
Meanwhile in Washington DC, Alana Beard was held out of the Mystics 89-80
loss to the Sun with a nagging shoulder injury. Later in Seattle, Mistie
Williams did not play in the Houston Comets 82-69 loss to the Storm.
Sunday brought the opener for Monique Currie and the Sky, and the first
"back-to-back" game for Lindsey. Mo's 20 points/11 rebound double-double
was wasted in an 81-73 loss to the Liberty. The Lynx also stumbled at
home, losing a 74-64 decison to the Sacramento Monarchs. Lindsey had an
awful shooting night, starting out 0-10 from the floor before finally
hitting one in the closing seconds, and going 2-5 from the line. But her
other numbers were positive: 4 steals, 4 boards, and 2 assists.
Tuesday's three game slate saw three Duke players in action, and three
more losses. Minnesota fell to 0-3 with an 85-75 home loss to the Detroit
Shock - Lindsey's shooting woes continued with a 3-12 eight point night,
but she continued to contribute in other ways, with 7 boards and 6
assists. Ivory Latta played less than two minutes, notching two
turnovers. In DC, Alana returned to the court and led the Mystics with 17
points, but the rest of the team only managed to score 38 in the 70-52
loss to Sacramento. In Chicago, the Sky fell to 0-2 at the hands of the
LA Sparks. LA led wire-to-wire in the 81-64 victory as Monique scored 9
points.
Update: It was Monique's last game in a Sky uniform, as Currie was
traded to the Wizards Thursday afternoon. Mo had not
yet played a DWHoops Challenge contest, and will now join Alana in DC.
Alison's only game to date was the opening win, but she returns to the
court Thursday as the Fever host the Sparks, broadcast on FSN-Indiana.
