AUSSIES SET SIGHTS ON WNBA PLAYOFFS
Nearing the end of the 2020 WNBA regular season, which has been contested in a bio-security ‘Wubble’ in Orlando Florida since July 25, four Chemist Warehouse WNBL athletes are continuing to give it their all for the chance to secure a playoff berth.
Sitting tenth in the standings on four wins, 12 losses and missing their marquee player, Elena Delle Donne this season is the Washington Mystics. However, despite the tough season the Mystics have faced to date, the team are still seeing the best of point guard and Jayco Southside Flyer, Leilani Mitchell.
A veteran player in the WNBA, Mitchell has completed in the League since 2008, only missing the 2014 season. Mitchell currently sits on a WNBA career average of 6.5 points per game (PPG) and 3.0 assists per game (APG), when compared to this season’s stats where the Mystics guard is averaging 8.8 PPG and 4.3 APG.
Mitchell had one of her top outings for the season thus far against fellow Chemist Warehouse Australian Opals squad member, Alanna Smith, and her Phoenix Mercury side on August 28. In her 27 minutes of play, Mitchell cleaned up the stat sheet amounting to 17 points, backed by three rebounds and five assists.
Currently sitting sixth with 11 season wins and seven losses is the Phoenix Mercury, coached by the Opals Head Coach, Sandy Brondello.
Just shy of a double-double in the Mercury’s game against the Mystics on August 28, Smith swept up the court, closing out the game with 14 points and eight rebounds.
The Adelaide Lightning forward is making a solid impression in only her second season in the WNBA, currently averaging 3.6 RPG and 6.3 PPG, shooting at 42% from the field.
Then finally sitting pretty atop the western conference is the Seattle Storm on 14 wins and only three loses, featuring two home talents, Ezi Magbegor (Deakin Melbourne Boomers) and Sami Whitcomb (Perth Lynx).
Making her mark in Florida, Magbegor has been inspiring across the board so far this season, averaging 13 minutes per game (MPG), supported by an average of 6.4 PPG and 2.3 RPG.
With a strong outing on August 29 against Chicago, Magbegor scored 11 points and robbed the opposition of the ball with two steals in her 14 minutes of play.
Similarly, Whitcomb has been a standout performer for the Storm in her fourth season with the team, averaging 8.9 PPG, 2.2 RPG and 2.1 APGG.
On August 12 against the Atlanta Dream, Whitcomb put on her best offensive performance of the season, racking up a sensational game high 20 points.
Whitcomb has also maintained a remarkable 100% shooting efficiency from the line for her third season in a row, making 20 from 20 so far this season.
Make sure you can catch Magbegor and Whitcomb with the Seattle Storm against Smith and Brondello’s Phoenix Mercury when they meet on Saturday 12 September at 12.00pm AEST. Catch Storm vs Mercury live and free on SBS VICELAND and SBS On Demand or you can still catch all the action on the WNBA website by purchasing a WNBA League Pass.
Remaining Schedule (All times are AEST)
Saturday 5 September
9:00am – Chicago Sky v Washington Mystics
12:00pm – Seattle Storm v Los Angeles Sparks
Sunday 6 September
10:00am – New York Liberty v Phoenix Mercury
Monday 7 September
6:00am – Dallas Wings v Washington Mystics
8:00am – Seattle Storm v Minnesota Lynx
Tuesday 8 September
8:00am – Connecticut Sun v Phoenix Mercury
Wednesday 9 September
10:00am – Minnesota Lynx v Washington Mystics
Thursday 10 September
9:00am – Phoenix Mercury v Connecticut Sun
12:00pm – Dallas Wings v Seattle Storm
Friday 11 September
12:00pm – Washington Mystics v Los Angeles Sparks
Saturday 12 September
12:00pm – Seattle Storm v Phoenix Mercury
Sunday 13 September
2:00am – Washington Mystics v New York Liberty
Monday 14 September
5:00am – Las Vegas Aces v Seattle Storm
All statistics within this article sourced from WNBA.com
All photos courtesy of WNBA