South Carolina women's basketball in the WNBA: Regular season wrap

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The WNBA regular season wrapped up Sunday, so now attention turns to the playoffs and A’ja Wilson’s MVP candidacy.

Dallas Wings (18-18)

Allisha Gray (33 games, 33 starts, 32.9 mpg, 13.3 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 2.5 apg, 1.1 spg)

Gray keeps doing what she does: double-digit scoring plus a handful of rebounds and assists. With leading scorer Arike Ogunbowale out through at least the first round of the playoffs, the Wings might need even more from Gray if they want to upset Connecticut.

Last week:

vs New York (86-77 win): 38 minutes*, 18 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists

vs New York (91-73 loss): 35 minutes*, 11 points, 6 rebounds, assist

at Phoenix (86-74 loss): 34 minutes*, 13 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 blocks

at Los Angeles (116-88 win): 30 minutes*, 14 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists

Tyasha Harris (35 games, 5 starts, 15.8 mpg, 5.0 ppg, 2.8 apg, 0.9 rpg)

Harris had a very unusual week stat-wise. She went three games without a single assist, quite an accomplishment for South Carolina’s all-time assists leader. Then in the fourth game, Harris dished out a career-high 11 assists without a turnover. She also had 18 points, becoming the first player in WNBA history to notch at least 15 points and 11 assists without a turnover in a regulation regular season game. 

Last week:

vs New York (86-77 win): 12 minutes, 2 points, 3 rebounds

vs New York (91-73 loss): 15 minutes, 2 points, rebound

at Phoenix (86-74 loss): 22 minutes, 11 points

at Los Angeles (116-88 win): 21 minutes, 18 points, 11 assists, 2 rebounds, 0 turnovers

Upcoming:

Thursday at Connecticut, Game 1 (8:00 ET, ESPNU)

Sunday at Connecticut, Game 2 (Noon ET, ABC)

[Join us Aug. 20 at Steel Hands Brewing for the 2022 Gamecock Central South Carolina football Kickoff Party]

Indiana Fever (5-31)

Alaina Coates (8 games, 9.4 mpg, 3.5 ppg, 2.0 rpg, 0.4 bpg, 93.3 FT%)

Coates’ feel-good story came to an end on June 7 when she was waived by Indiana.

Destanni Henderson (36 games, 5 starts, 16.4 mpg, 5.3 ppg, 2.5 apg, 1.6 rpg, 36.6 3P%)

Indiana’s season, and the 18-game losing streak the Fever ended on, mercifully came to an end Sunday. That losing streak matched the number of games Henderson lost in her entire career at South Carolina, wight more than half of those (10) coming during her freshman season. 

Last week:

vs Washington (82-70 loss): 30 minutes*, 6 assists, 2 rebounds, steal

at Washington (95-83 loss): 24 minutes*, 4 points, 3 assists, 2 rebounds

Tiffany Mitchell (34 games, 8 starts, 16.3 mpg, 6.5 ppg, 1.2 rpg, 1.2 apg, 0.8 spg)

Mitchell also lost 18 total games as a Gamecock, but by now she is used to all of the losses with the Fever. Mitchell is a free agent after the season and if she played her last game for the Fever, she went out with a good one: 18 points and seven assists. 

Last week:

vs Washington (82-70 loss): 28 minutes*, 13 points, 3 assists, steal

at Washington (95-83 loss): 26 minutes*, 18 points, 7 assists

Upcoming:

Indiana’s season is over.

Las Vegas Aces (26-10)

A’ja Wilson (36 games, 36 starts, 30.0 mpg, 19.5 ppg, 9.4 rpg, 1.9 bpg, 2.1 apg, 1.4 spg)

Wilson did everything she could to make her argument for MVP. She led Las Vegas to four straight wins to close the season, including two over Seattle and Breanna Stewart, Wilson’s competition for MVP. Wilson clinched the win – and top seed in the playoffs – with a steal and block on Stewart. Two plays won’t tilt the MVP race, but it was still an emphatic way to close things out. Las Vegas now turns its attention to the postseason, where the Aces face Phoenix, the team that knocked them out of the playoffs last season.

Last week:

vs Atlanta (97-90 win): 38 minutes*, 24 points, 14 rebounds, 3 assists, block, steal

vs Chicago (89-78 win): 33 minutes*, 12 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 blocks

vs Seattle (109-100 win): 37 minutes*, 25 points, 10 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals, block

Upcoming:

Wednesday vs Phoenix, Game 1 (10:00 ET, ESPN)

Saturday vs Phoenix, Game 2 (9:00 ET, ESPN2)

Kaela Davis

Davis was signed to a hardship contract by Phoenix on July 21. She made a brief appearance against Seattle, playing two minutes and not registering a stat. Davis’ seven-day contract expired July 28 and Phoenix resigned her. She did not play in the Mercury’s win over the Sparks, and then played one stat-less minute against New York. In a blowout loss to Connecticut, Davis had 10 points and two rebounds in seven minutes of action. 

Phoenix let Davis go after her second contract expired on August 4, but resigned her again on August 12. Later that day, Davis scored two points in five minutes against Dallas. Sunday against Chicago, Davis scored 11 points with three rebounds in 12 minutes but left the game with a right ankle injury. It’s unclear if Davis will be on the roster for the playoffs.

Phoenix is Davis’ third team of the season. Wednesday before the season began, Davis was waived by Chicago. Two days later, just hours before Chicago’s season-opener, the Sky resigned Davis to a hardship contract (Davis didn’t even show up on the league transaction list until the next day). She played 10 minutes that night against Los Angeles but was released on May 9, before Chicago’s next game. Davis was out of work for less than a week and was signed to another hardship contract by Seattle that Friday. She did not appear in a game for Seattle and was waived again on May 18.

Then on May 28, with several Storm players in health and safety protocols, the Storm resigned Davis. Davis played 18 minutes in the Storm’s blowout win over the Liberty on May 29, scoring 11 points to go with two rebounds and two steals. It would be her only game – Davis was waived June 2 to make room for returning players.

In seven games this season (one each with Chicago and Seattle, and five with Phoenix), Davis is averaging 7.9 minutes, 4.9 points, 0.9 rebounds, and 0.3 steals. Proving she’s just as capable as ever of getting hot, all of Davis’ points have come in two games.

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