http://www.womenssportstoday.com/basketball WNBA and NCAA Women's Basketball News, Schedules and Standings - Women's Sports Today en-us Phoenix Mercury head coach, Paul Westhead, one of the most innovative and ingenious basketball coaches on the planet, may leave his new championship team to become an assistant coach with the Seattle Supersonics of the NBA. Westhead is the former head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers, Chicago Bulls and Denver Nuggets and is a nearly lifelong friend of new Sonics head coach P.J. Carlesimo. Tue, 18 Sep 2007 09:54:45 +0200 http://www.womenssportstoday.com/basketball/news/2007/9/18/newly-crowned-wnba-champion-westhead-mulls-return-to-nba-with-good-friend-carlesimo-and-sonics http://www.womenssportstoday.com/basketball/news/2007/9/18/newly-crowned-wnba-champion-westhead-mulls-return-to-nba-with-good-friend-carlesimo-and-sonics Cappie Pondexter poured in a game-high 26 points, including the game-winning basket with 21 seconds remaining, to lift the Phoenix Mercury past the Detroit Shock 77-76 on Thursday night in game four of the WNBA Finals. Detroit, which won the 2003 and 2006 titles on its home court, will try to win consecutive titles when it returns to Auburn Hills for Sunday's finale. Diana Taurasi added 20 points for the Mercury, while Plenette Pierson netted 23 points off the bench for Detroit. Sat, 15 Sep 2007 19:42:59 +0200 http://www.womenssportstoday.com/basketball/news/2007/9/15/phoenix-mercury-rises-to-knot-wnba-finals-at-22-top-detroit-shock-7776 http://www.womenssportstoday.com/basketball/news/2007/9/15/phoenix-mercury-rises-to-knot-wnba-finals-at-22-top-detroit-shock-7776 The Detroit Shock forged a 2-1 lead in the best-of-five WNBA Finals by toppling Phoenix 88-83 on Tuesday night. Katie Smith dropped in four three-pointers and netted 22 points in all for Detroit, while Deanna Nolan pumped in 20 points, including four free-throws in the final seconds that sealed the win. Diana Taurasi scored 22 points for the Mercury and Tangela Smith added 17, but hit on just 6-of-17 shots for the cold-shooting Mercury. Wed, 12 Sep 2007 20:18:02 +0200 http://www.womenssportstoday.com/basketball/news/2007/9/12/detroit-powers-past-phoenix-8883-takes-21-lead-in-wnba-finals http://www.womenssportstoday.com/basketball/news/2007/9/12/detroit-powers-past-phoenix-8883-takes-21-lead-in-wnba-finals Rutgers University basketball player Kia Vaughn has dropped the defamation lawsuit filed in a New York court, against radio personality Don Imus, CBS Radio and television partners, after the "nappy-headed ho" controversy. Vaughn had sued Imus and others less than a month ago claiming his comments damaged her reputation. Wed, 12 Sep 2007 11:25:13 +0200 http://www.womenssportstoday.com/basketball/news/2007/9/12/rutgers-player-drops-defamation-lawsuit-against-don-imus http://www.womenssportstoday.com/basketball/news/2007/9/12/rutgers-player-drops-defamation-lawsuit-against-don-imus Diana Taurasi poured in a game-high 30 points, leading the Phoenix Mercury to a 98-70 win over the Detroit Shock in game two of the WNBA finals on Saturday afternoon. Taurasi's turnaround from a 10-point showing in the opener enabled the Mercury to even the series at 1-1 as the best-of-five championship heads to Phoenix for Tuesday night's game three. Sat, 08 Sep 2007 20:28:54 +0200 http://www.womenssportstoday.com/basketball/news/2007/9/8/phoenix-mercury-even-up-wnba-finals-at-11-with-9870-win-over-detroit-shock http://www.womenssportstoday.com/basketball/news/2007/9/8/phoenix-mercury-even-up-wnba-finals-at-11-with-9870-win-over-detroit-shock The Detroit Shock took Game 1 of the 2007 WNBA Finals Wednesday night, subduing the feisty Phoenix Mercury 108-100 despite playing without their best interior player and All-Star game Most Valuable Player, Cheryl Ford. The league's defending champions reached the championship round after squeaking by New York and Indiana in the Eastern Conference only to meet up with the high-scoring Mercury who were unbeaten in the postseason. The Shock got solid performances from Plenette Pierson and Kara Braxton who each came off the bench to ignite Detroit in Ford's absence. Thu, 06 Sep 2007 08:08:50 +0200 http://www.womenssportstoday.com/basketball/news/2007/9/6/detroit-shocks-mercury-in-game-one-of-wnba-finals-as-substitutes-shine http://www.womenssportstoday.com/basketball/news/2007/9/6/detroit-shocks-mercury-in-game-one-of-wnba-finals-as-substitutes-shine Seattle Storm forward Lauren Jackson, the WNBA's top scorer and top rebounder has also earned the league's top prize, the Most Valuable Player award. The WNBA announced that Jackson won the award on Wednesday, garnering nearly double the number of voters' points of runner-up Becky Hammon of San Antonio. The Storm star enjoyed a remarkable season in averaging 23.8 points and 9.7 rebounds per game. Jackson is also a force in the middle defensively for Seattle, blocking two shots per contest, good for second in the league in that category. Wed, 05 Sep 2007 22:50:01 +0200 http://www.womenssportstoday.com/basketball/news/2007/9/5/jackson-storms-way-to-wnba-mvp-honor-leagues-top-scorer-rebounder-awarded http://www.womenssportstoday.com/basketball/news/2007/9/5/jackson-storms-way-to-wnba-mvp-honor-leagues-top-scorer-rebounder-awarded Deanna Nolan scored a franchise-record 30 points to lead the Detroit Shock to an 81-65 win over the Indiana Fever in the decisive third game of the WNBA Eastern Conference Finals Monday night, sending the Shock back to the championship series to try and defend their title. Detroit will square off with Phoenix beginning Wednesday and will be looking for its third WNBA championship if five years. Tue, 04 Sep 2007 10:33:02 +0200 http://www.womenssportstoday.com/basketball/news/2007/9/4/detroit-heading-back-to-wnba-finals-after-8165-win-over-indiana http://www.womenssportstoday.com/basketball/news/2007/9/4/detroit-heading-back-to-wnba-finals-after-8165-win-over-indiana The defending WNBA champion Detroit Shock got 24 points from superstar small forward Deanna Nolan on Sunday to beat the Indiana Fever 77-63 and even their Eastern Conference Finals matchup against the Fever at one win apiece. With their backs up against a wall and their season in jeopardy, the Shock beat back the Fever and improved to 6-0 when in elimination games the past two postseasons. Mon, 03 Sep 2007 11:14:56 +0200 http://www.womenssportstoday.com/basketball/news/2007/9/3/fever-gets-shocked-by-defending-champs-fails-to-eliminate-detroit-in-closeout-game http://www.womenssportstoday.com/basketball/news/2007/9/3/fever-gets-shocked-by-defending-champs-fails-to-eliminate-detroit-in-closeout-game Star Houston Comets guard Tina Thompson may be lured away from the struggling WNBA to a greener pasture, but she may have to cross an ocean to get there. On Tuesday, Thompson told a local television station that she hasn't been satisfied with the paycheck she's getting in the WNBA and could look overseas to continue her playing career. Thu, 09 Aug 2007 12:58:33 +0200 http://www.womenssportstoday.com/basketball/news/2007/8/9/comets-thompson-contemplates-leaving-wnba-to-play-overseas http://www.womenssportstoday.com/basketball/news/2007/8/9/comets-thompson-contemplates-leaving-wnba-to-play-overseas Venus Williams withdrew from the Rogers Cup for undisclosed reasons on Tuesday. Williams, who won her fourth Wimbledon title last month, fell in the quarterfinals of her next tournament appearance in San Diego, losing to Anna Chakvetadze of Russia 6-7, 7-6, 6-2. Top-ranked Justine Henin and No. 2 Maria Sharapova are still slated to compete in the tournament that opens Monday. Amelie Mauresmo withdrew earlier this week, however, and officials are concerned that more top players could follow suit as occurred last year. Thu, 09 Aug 2007 12:39:02 +0200 http://www.womenssportstoday.com/basketball/news/2007/8/9/venus-williams-withdraws-from-rogers-cup-for-undisclosed-reasons http://www.womenssportstoday.com/basketball/news/2007/8/9/venus-williams-withdraws-from-rogers-cup-for-undisclosed-reasons As the postseason draws nearer in the WNBA, the games are getting tighter. Of the six matchups on Tuesday night, five were decided by six points or less. Although the Minnesota Lynx rolled over the Seattle Storm in a 21-point win, Washington, Sacramento, Indiana, New York and Phoenix all earned hard-fought victories in close contests. Wed, 08 Aug 2007 10:53:02 +0200 http://www.womenssportstoday.com/basketball/news/2007/8/8/hardfought-wins-by-washington-sacramento-indiana-phoenix-highlight-tuesdays-wnba-action http://www.womenssportstoday.com/basketball/news/2007/8/8/hardfought-wins-by-washington-sacramento-indiana-phoenix-highlight-tuesdays-wnba-action The WNBA announced on Monday that Alana Beard of the Washington Mystics and Diana Taurasi of the Phoenix Mercury were the league's Players of the Week for games played from July 30 through Aug. 5. Beard was cited as best in the Eastern Conference as she averaged 19.0 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 2.3 assists a game for Washington. Taurasi received the best in the Western Conference honors because of her 23.7 points, 3.0 rebounds, and 3.0 assists a game for Phoenix. Mon, 06 Aug 2007 18:56:02 +0200 http://www.womenssportstoday.com/basketball/news/2007/8/6/beard-and-taurasi-named-wnba-players-of-the-week http://www.womenssportstoday.com/basketball/news/2007/8/6/beard-and-taurasi-named-wnba-players-of-the-week The battle for postseason spots in the upcoming WNBA playoffs got even more heated on Sunday night, as the Indiana Fever locked up a postseason berth with a 63-55 win over Sacramento. The Washington Mystics also edged Chicago 71-66 to help their push for a playoff berth in the Eastern Conference. Tamika Whitmore scored 16 points and Tan White added 14 points as the Fever (18-11) locked a playoff berth in an impressive win over the Monarchs (16-11). Delisha Milton-Jones had 20 points and 10 rebounds, Alana Beard chipped in with 18 points and Miller had 16 points, including a career-high three 3-pointers and a pair of clutch free throws in the waning seconds, for Washington (12-15). Chicago fell to 12-17, two games behind in the loss column for the final playoff spot in the East. Mon, 06 Aug 2007 10:14:02 +0200 http://www.womenssportstoday.com/basketball/news/2007/8/6/indiana-locks-up-playoff-berth-washington-improves-position-with-sunday-night-wins http://www.womenssportstoday.com/basketball/news/2007/8/6/indiana-locks-up-playoff-berth-washington-improves-position-with-sunday-night-wins The Connecticut Sun romped over the Indiana Fever 84-59 Saturday night as Katie Douglas scored a team-high 19 points to lead the team to its fifth straight win. Margo Dydek had a terrific game adding 12 points, nine rebounds and three blocks, while Asjha Jones added 11. Sun, 05 Aug 2007 00:07:14 +0200 http://www.womenssportstoday.com/basketball/news/2007/8/5/sun-turn-up-heat-on-fever-wins-going-away-8459 http://www.womenssportstoday.com/basketball/news/2007/8/5/sun-turn-up-heat-on-fever-wins-going-away-8459