Seton Hall
WNBA power rankings (week of August 21)
Date: August 21, 2019By: Heaven Hill
WNBA Power Rankings
We are back with another edition of WNBA Power Rankings, recapping and highlighting games from August 13- August 20.
With the end of the regular season nearing closer than ever on September 8, teams are starting to clinch playoff spots, and separate themselves from the pack. Meanwhile, one team has been mathematically eliminated from playoff contention and must look towards the offseason for answers.
So, have the rankings been affected by the last week of results? Will a team currently on the playoff bubble make a long run to sneak in? And for Christ’s sake, can ANYONE stop the Mystics??
1. Washington Mystics, no movement (20-7)
Highlighted game: W vs Indiana Fever, 107-68
The Washington Mystics are quite possibly one of the most dominant teams the WNBA has ever seen in its history. They’re on a current six-game win streak and the Mystics have been bludgeoning teams at a historic pace. In their highlighted game of the week, they shattered even more records in this season of destruction.
In their blowout victory over the Fever, the Mystics made a WNBA record 18 threes, set a record with nine players making a three, and set a WNBA record as this was their 11th win of the season by 20 points or more. Long story short, Washington has been utterly unstoppable.
Elena Delle Donne turned in an exceptional performance, with 25 points, nine rebounds and four assists. Aerial Powers added 19 points and Emma Meesseman joined them in double figures as scored 11 points off the pine in the win.
The Mystics have battered almost every team in front of them, and even in their tough matchups like their victory over the Lynx, they’ve showed the championship pedigree to go on a late run and secure the win. It is clear that even though the Connecticut Sun are close to them in terms of record, no team is in the Mystics’ stratosphere and they keep getting better and better.
Other results: W vs Storm, 88-59 (Delle Donne 14 pts/five rebs); W vs Lynx, 86-79 (Meesseman 17 pts/eight asts)
2. Los Vegas Aces, up one spot (19-9)
Highlighted game: W vs Phoenix Mercury, 84-79 OT
The highlighted game of the week for the Aces was an important one, as it featured a tough matchup between possibly the two best frontcourts in the league; Liz Cambage and A’ja Wilson against the powerhouse combo of DeWanna Bonner and Brittney Griner.
Wilson didn’t play the best in this game against a Mercury team with Brittney Griner returning from suspension, as she scored 19 points on 6/19 from the field. However, this was her second game since returning from her ankle injury, and the team rallied around their emotional leader and eked out a tough overtime win.
Her All-Star partner in the frontcourt, Cambage, scored 19 points as well, with 15 rebounds and three blocks. Number one pick Jackie Young had her best game of her career as she flirted with a triple double, stuffing the stat sheet with eight points, 10 boards and 10 assists.
The return of Wilson is huge for this team, as it pushes Dearica Hamby back to her effective bench role and it gives Vegas even more options on offense. All in all, this team is dangerous, and they’re primed for a Conference Finals run.
Other results: W vs Dream, 94-90 (Hamby 23 pts/16 rebs); W vs Sky, 100-85 (Cambage/Wilson combined for 48 pts)
3. Connecticut Sun, up one spot (19-8)
Highlighted game: W vs Seattle Storm, 79-78
The Sun rallied from a seven-point deficit late in the fourth quarter to snatch the win from the Storm’s fingers in their highlighted game of the week.
Despite Seattle missing one of their best defenders in Jordin Canada due to a shoulder issue, the backcourt of the Sun struggled to score. In addition to this, Jonquel Jones, who has started to slip somewhat in the MVP conversation, only scored nine points, albeit leading the team in plus-minus.
Due to all of this, an unlikely hero lead Connecticut to victory, even swishing the game-winning free throws. Three-Point Contest champion Shekinna Stricklen scored 24 points to lead the team in what was a hard-fought win over a solid team in Seattle.
The Sun need to keep winning games if they want to stave off the Aces in the hunt for a top-two seed and a bye to the playoff semifinals. If Jones doesn’t find that groove she was in at the start of the year, Connecticut could slip in the standings and lose homecourt advantage.
Other results: W vs Mercury, 78-71 (Jones 12 pts/14 rebs); W vs Wings, 78-68 (Williams 18 pts/six asts)
4. Los Angeles Sparks, down two spots (16-10)
Highlighted game: W vs Minnesota Lynx, 81-71
It’s rare that the highlighted game of the week is a win, yet the team slips in the rankings. However, the Sparks’ dominant defeat of the Lynx was just too good to pass up, as they entered the fourth quarter up 24 points to snap a two-game losing streak and win their ninth straight home game.
Candace Parker had 20 points and 10 rebounds for her third straight double-double, showing she is not only starting to find her footing on the court, but she is returning to her usual dominance.
Chelsea Gray scored 17 points and promising guard Alexis Jones added 15 points off the bench in the victory that pushed Los Angeles even closer to clinching a playoff spot. The Ogwumike sisters didn’t do much this game, but they didn’t play much to leave a significant impact. Overall, the Sparks bounced back a slight losing streak and picked up a big win over a playoff team.
Other results: L vs Wings, 84-78 (N. Ogwumike 21 pts/nine rebs); L vs Sky, 91-81 (Gray 25 pts/five rebs/five asts)
5. Chicago Sky, no movement (16-11)
Highlighted game: W vs Los Angeles Sparks, 91-81
In the Sky’s highlighted game of the week, they enacted revenge over a hot Sparks team that defeated them last week, picking up a double-digit win over them and at the time, putting the teams into a tie for fourth place.
The All-Star couple of Allie Quigley and Courtney Vandersloot combined for 43 points, with Vandersloot adding nine assists as well. Defense isn’t a strong suit of theirs, but they shut down Sydney Wiese on the Sparks and made scoring difficult for Chelsea Gray, which was essential to the win.
Diamond DeShields added 11 points, and the frontcourt tandem of Stefanie Dolson and Astou Ndour both scored in double figures and helped the team win the rebound battle by 11, while playing great defense against the Los Angeles frontcourt.
Overall, this win won’t be important if these teams tie with the same record, as LA had secured the season series and the tiebreaker with their win over the Sky last week. However, Chicago showed that they were able to beat a team like the Sparks, and that feeling is just as sweet.
Other results: L vs Aces, 100-85 (DeShields 28 pts); W vs Dream, 87-83 (Vandersloot 14 pts/10 rebs/six asts)
6. Seattle Storm, no movement (15-13)
Highlighted game: L vs Connecticut Sun, 79-78
The highlighted game of the week for the Seattle Storm featured a tough road loss as they choked a late seven-point lead in what would have been a colossal win over a top-two team in the standings.
Jordin Canada sat out of this game with a shoulder injury, so scoring was bound to be sparse from the starters. This was evident all game, as Sami Whitcomb and Mercedes Russell struggled to get anything going. Shavonte Zellous started in the backcourt as the Storm continue to ease Jewell Loyd back into the rotation, but Zellous was so ineffective, Loyd ended up playing 30 minutes as the team vied for an offensive spark.
Natasha Howard continued her impressive season with a dominant 27 points and 10 rebounds against an overmatched Sun frontcourt, but it was all for naught. This would have been a huge victory that showed the Storm could compete with the best of the best, but most of the team unfortunately failed to show up.
Other results: L vs Mystics, 88-59 (Howard 24 pts/eight rebs/four stls); W vs Lynx, 82-74 (Canada 14 pts/six asts/three stls)
7. Phoenix Mercury, up one spot (13-14)
Highlighted game: W vs New York Liberty, 78-72
In the Mercury’s highlighted game of the week, they fended off an improved Liberty team and got a huge win while Brittney Griner was suspended by the league.
Entering the fourth quarter down by four, DeWanna Bonner activated playoff mode and scored 17 of her 30 points in the final period, adding 10 rebounds as well. Leilani Mitchell continued her resurgence, with 19 points.
Although the tandem of Briann January and Yvonne Turner didn’t do much in terms of scoring, combining for 16 points, they held the Liberty backcourt of Bria Hartley and Kia Nurse to a combined 8/22 from the field, swinging the game in Phoenix’s favor.
Overall, this was a big win as the Mercury managed to stay afloat in the standings without Griner. Now, they are just a few wins from clinching a playoff spot.
Other results: W vs Dream, 77-68 (Bonner 27 pts/13 rebs); L vs Aces, 84-79 OT (Bonner/Griner combine for 48 pts/13 rebs)
8. Minnesota Lynx, down one spot (13-15)
Highlighted game: L vs Washington Mystics, 86-79
The Minnesota Lynx are currently embroiled in a 3-game losing streak, at a time when teams should be heating up preparing for the playoffs. In a unique situation compared to other teams with the return of Seimone Augustus to the rotation, their highlighted game of the week showed the Lynx’s limitations compared to other teams.
Entering the fourth quarter up six points over the best team in the league, the Lynx folded, and the Mystics offense went supernova, scoring 30 points in the final period. Minnesota couldn’t match the efficiency of the Mystics from behind the arc and couldn’t get a stop when it mattered most.
The Lynx frontcourt scored with ease, as Damiris Dantas, Napheesa Collier and Sylvia Fowles all scored in double figures with ease. However, Odyssey Sims’ streakiness reared its ugly head as she finished with 10 points on 4-11 from the field.
All in all, this would’ve been a big performance for Minnesota if they managed to hold on for the win. Unfortunately, they just couldn’t get it done.
Other results: W vs Liberty, 89-73 (Sims 17 pts/six asts); L vs Storm, 82-74 (Sims 30 pts/four asts); L vs Sparks, 81-71 (Brown 20 pts)
9. Dallas Wings, up one spot (9-18)
Highlighted game: W vs Los Angeles Sparks, 84-78
The Rookie of the Year debate continues to heat up in the WNBA, between Minnesota’s Collier and the electrifying Arike Ogunbowale of the Wings. In her last seven games, Ogunbowale has averaged 23 points per game, on 45% from the field and 47% from behind the arc, leading the Wings to a 4-3 record.
While she hasn’t shown that amazing efficiency throughout the season, she displayed her improvement during the Wings’ highlighted game of the week. Ogunbowale scored a career-high 35 points on 12/21 shooting from the field, showing how dominant she can be when she gets hot.
Glory Johnson scored a season-high 20 points as well in the big win for Dallas, stopping the Sparks’ five-game winning streak. While Ogunbowale might not win the Rookie of the Year award due to her overall season, she’s shown massive improvement from month to month and has established herself as a franchise cornerstone for the Wings.
Other results: W vs Liberty, 83-77 (Gray 22 pts); L vs Sun, 78-68 (Harrison 11 pts/13 rebs)
10. Indiana Fever, down one spot (9-18)
Highlighted game: L vs New York Liberty, 82-76
The highlighted game of the week for the Indiana Fever was a devastating loss against a team that hadn’t won in a month, as the Liberty were on a nine-game losing streak before this win.
The first two quarters were quite lopsided in each team’s favor, as the Fever were outscored by 15 in the first but came back in the second to enter halftime only down six points. However, they couldn’t close the gap and that ended up being the final margin.
The starters struggled to score as only Natalie Achonwa finished in double figures. However, third pick Teaira McCowan scored a career-high 24 points with eight rebounds off the bench, continuing to show her development. While this season might end with another lottery pick for the Fever, McCowan has shown she can be a future star once Candice Dupree decides to hang it up.
Other results: L vs Mystics, 107-68 (McCowan 14 pts/10 rebs)
11. New York Liberty, no movement (9-18)
Highlighted game: L vs Dallas Wings, 83-77
The Liberty went on a favorable road trip, against a Mercury team without Brittney Griner, and two other teams in the bottom-four in the standings. Unfortunately, they only went 1/2, and their highlighted game of the week, New York allowed a late run from the Wings to grab the lead and steal what should’ve been an easy win over an inexperienced team.
Tina Charles was inefficient, scoring 25 points on 10-25 from the field. Kia Nurse helped somewhat, as she added 17 points albeit missing every three pointer she attempted. Bria Hartley joined them in double figures, scoring 12 points in what was a tough loss for the Liberty.
New York started to improve around the middle of the season, but an unfortunate nine-game losing streak has them close to being officially eliminated from playoff contention.
Other results: L vs Lynx, 89-73 (Allen 28 pts); L vs Mercury, 78-72 (Charles 23 pts/13 rebs); W vs Indiana Fever, 82-76 (Charles 23 pts/14 rebs)
12. Atlanta Dream, no movement (5-22)
Highlighted game: L vs Aces, 94-90
The Atlanta Dream have been the first team officially eliminated from playoff contention as they are currently on a 12-game losing streak. However, in the last week they’ve entered the fourth quarter with leads over two top-five teams in the standings, the Sky and in their highlighted game of the week.
On the road against Las Vegas, the Dream entered the final period with a five-point lead, but their offense sputtered out as they only mustered 15 points and were outscored by nine points. Jessica Breland had 18 points and nine rebounds to lead the team, while Tiffany Hayes, Brittney Sykes, Alex Bentley and Marie Gulich joined her in double figures.
Overall, another crushing defeat for Atlanta in a long line of tough losses. This season has been a complete train wreck, but the Dream received good news from doctors as franchise cornerstone Angel McCoughtry will return to play in their last regular season game. This should be marquee television for a fanbase struggling to find bright spots this season.
Other results: L vs Mercury, 77-68 (Williams 15 pts/11 rebs); L vs Sky, 87-83 (Hayes 27 pts)
Heaven Hill can be reached at heaven.hill@student.shu.edu.
