WEEK 2 – IT’S JELL TIME!
By Sharon Mullen, Chief Staff Writer
WNBA Week 2 5/20 – 5/26
WNBA fans are still riding on a high! The 2024 season headed into Week 2 with viewership and engagement still at a fever pitch. The point to take in is the level of competition and play fans are witnessing this season. Is it any higher than it ever has been? That depends on who you ask. All I know is I am loving it all!
This past week the W put on a rare Monday night schedule of games with the 3-0 Connecticut Sun travelling to Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis to take on the winless Indiana Fever in the early game, and the Seattle Storm sitting at 1-3 taking on the undefeated New York Liberty at Barclays Center. Both contests were sold out and the fans were all in from tip off to the final buzzer.
This was a night of the favorites with the Sun and Liberty coming out on top. In the early contest, Kelsey Mitchell and Caitlin Clark each scored a team high of 17 points with 5 assists. They also combined for 7 turnovers. 2023 number 1 pick Aliyah Boston added 6 turnovers herself which turned into points for the Sun. The Fever looked like a more confident team, playing better defense and seemingly communicating better on the court. Several times in the second half, the Fever, sparked by strong inside play by Boston, went on runs to keep the game close. But it was not enough to topple the Sun, led by the shooting of Alyssa Thomas who led all scorers with 24 points, adding 14 rebounds, 1 steal and a block. She was a leader on the floor, giving them a strong offensive stance with teammates DeWanna Bonner, Brionna Jones, and DiJonai Carrington, beating the Fever 88-84.
The Liberty picked up where they left off from their previous game 2 days prior. Sabrina Ionescu led all scorers with 20 points on 41% shooting throwing in 8 assists and a block. The Liberty dominated the Storm who is still jelling after the additions of Nneka Ogwumike who did not play and Skylar Diggins-Smith. They practically won the game in the paint, nearly doubling the Storm in points in the paint and netting higher points off turnovers and total rebounds. Breanna Stewart and Jonquel Jones added 16 points each as the Liberty never lost their lead throughout the game and sent the Storm packing with a score of 74-36.
Lots of discussion has permeated across sports linear programming and online alike concerning the WNBA schedule this season. Looking at the Week 2 schedule, it became clear that there is not parity between teams. The WNBA Draft took place on April 15th with training camp starting on April 28th. Some players had less than 4 weeks to really practice before start of the preseason on May 3rd. Week 1 started May 14th with only Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, and Los Angeles having no games that day. These teams started their season on May 15th. After that day, fans have seen certain teams more on televised games than others. By the end of Week 2, here are the standings:
Connecticut 5-0
Minnesota 4-1
Las Vegas 3-1
New York 4-2
Dallas 3-2
Phoenix 3-2
Chicago 2-2
Atlanta 2-2
Seattle 3-3
Los Angeles 1-4
Indiana 1-6
Washington 0-6
Games played range from as little as 4 so far to as many as 7, leaving some fans scratching their heads, asking the question, why? Typically, the season is mapped out long before the draft. One cannot keep from asking the question if that was the case this season. Indiana Fever won the draft lottery and picked first in the draft. Everyone following the sport knew Iowa’s Caitlin Clark, the NCAA record breaking phenom, would go as the first pick. Last season, the Fever ended with only 13 wins. Their market was not the most watched or followed. However, as far as the WNBA broadcast schedule released on April 10th, 36 of the 40 Fever games are being featured on national broadcast television channels and the WNBA streaming partners. Between ABC, ESPN, and ESPN2, they are featuring the WNBA Champion Las Vegas Aces and the reigning Commissioner’s Cup Champion New York Liberty only 8 times each. One could surmise that part of the reason for the disparity of completed games thus far could be due to this broadcast schedule. I have no criticism of this, but it could be a valid reason. With the gradual increase in WNBA support along with the sudden explosion brought by this rookie class led by Caitlyn Clark and Angel Reese, I am sure the broadcast schedule had to be tweaked to have these rookies appear more on television and streaming. After all, marketing is about giving the people what they want, and the WNBA is doing that. Of course, there have still been issues with having some games not being broadcast as was scheduled leaving some fans pretty upset. Growing pains, folks. It will happen when trying to keep up with this sudden demand.
The game of the week was Saturday’s matchup between the Connecticut Sun and the Chicago Sky featuring Alyssa Thomas and Angel Reese. This was a hard-fought game from start to finish. The Sun has practically the number 1 defense in the league right now. But the Sky’s defense is nothing to sneeze at, led by rookie Angel Reese in the paint. The Sun, led by forward DeWanna Bonner’s 19 points 8 rebounds and 3 assists, battled the Sky down low, swarming them with tough defense and controlling the rim, leading the Sky in second chance points 27-7. After Alyssa Thomas was ejected from the game due to a flagrant 2 foul on Angel Reese, Bonner put the team on her back and displayed impeccable focus and brilliant play. This game went back and forth having 16 lead changes with the Sun outlasting the Sky, 86-82.
The matchups this week were exciting and fiercely competitive. It featured the Aces versus one of their chief rivals, the Mercury in a battle between G Chelsea Gray vs G Diana Taurasi. With names like Chelsea Plum and the reigning Defensive Player of the Year A’ja Wilson on the roster, the Aces were picked to win. However, the tough, feisty Mercury would not be denied, winning the contest 98-88 delivering the Aces their only loss on the season. The Sky and the Lynx have been putting the league on notice that they are coming with strong games from the Sky’s Marina Mabrey and Angel Reese and the Lynx’s Napheesa Collier and Courtney Williams. Despite the expected performances of the Aces, Sun, and Liberty, it has been an unpredictable season with some teams rising and others falling back unexpectedly. We are headed into the Commissioner’s Cup period starting June 1st. Who is primed to take the Cup from the Liberty? Or will they hang on to it? It’s a great time to be a fan of the W!!!
And now, for our Week 2 MVP of the Week, All Things WNBA selects….
At guard, from Notre Dame, 5’8” multi-time All-Star Arike Ogunbowale of the Dallas Wings, for her performance against the Phoenix Mercury in Saturday’s game.
Stat line:
40 PTS 7 RB 4 AST FG 11/24 3PT 7/12 FT 11/12 4 STL +/- +18
Heading into the 4th quarter up by only 7 points, the Wings pulled away scoring 31 points in the quarter. Obunbowale was responsible for 19 of those points sealing the win.
Do you agree with our choice? Who would you have picked as your MVP of the Week? Go to our Facebook group page and post your selections.
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Sharon Mullen is a freelance writer, influencer, and podcaster, focusing on sports, lifestyle, and relationships. She is a graduate of Michigan State University.
