Former Rutgers Stars Earn WNBA Weekly Honors
Jul 06 | Women's Basketball
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Tammy Sutton-Brown (Courtesy WNBA)
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Sutton-Brown, a 6-4 center for the Indiana Fever, averaged 18.0 points, 11.5 rebounds and 3.0 blocks for the week to win the second Player of the Week award of her career. Sutton-Brown led the WNBA in rebounding and was one of two players to average a double-double for the week while shooting 52 percent from the floor.
The Canada native steered the Fever to wins over the Connecticut Sun (season-high five blocked shots and 14 rebounds) and Atlanta Dream (season-high 22 points), extending the team’s winning streak to a franchise-record eight games in a row. Sutton-Brown went 10-of-10 combined from the free throw line in the two victories.
As a collegian at Rutgers, Sutton-Brown (1997-2001) ranks among the top in several all-time categories. She owns a career field-goal percentage of .577, third in the record book while coming in fifth in blocked shots and fourth in games played. She was a member of the first Rutgers team to reach the Final Four (2000).
Sutton-Brown, a nine-year pro with two All-Star appearances, is fifth among league leaders all-time in blocked shots (412) and has scored over 2,700 points in her career. She is averaging 10.4 points and a career-high 7.4 rebounds this season in her third season with the Fever.
Pondexter, a 5-9 guard with Phoenix, earned the third Player of the Week award of her career after averaging 21.5 points on 51.6 percent (16-31) shooting, 7.5 rebounds and 6.0 assists in two Mercury wins. She was the only player for the week to place among the league’s top eight for points, rebounds and assists per game. On the strength of Pondexter’s play, Phoenix moved into first place in the Western Conference.
Against the Seattle Storm, Pondexter recorded her first double-double (22 points, 11 rebounds) of the season while missing a triple-double by only two assists. She followed that performance up with a game-high 21 points in a road win over the Los Angeles Sparks. Pondexter currently ranks third in the WNBA in scoring (20.6 ppg) and fifth in assists (4.8 apg).
Pondexter, a two-time WNBA All-Star, a gold-medalist with the 2008 U.S. Olympic Women’s Basketball Team and the 2007 WNBA Finals MVP, is one of the most decorated players in Rutgers women’s basketball history. The 2006 BIG EAST Player of the Year and First Team All-American selection led Rutgers to four NCAA appearances and a perfect 16-0 league record her senior season.
She is second all-time in scoring (2,211) and field goals made and attempted, third in scoring average (18.3), sixth in assists and ninth in steals in the RU record book. In addition, Pondexter ranks first in three-point accuracy (.426) and is third in three-pointers made (164).
