Six Former Scarlet Knights Head to WNBA Playoffs
Sep 16 | Women's Basketball
PISCATAWAY, N.J. - Six former Scarlet Knights will be vying for the 2015 WNBA title with the New York Liberty's Essence Carson, Epiphanny Prince and Erica Wheeler, the Chicago Sky's Cappie Pondexter and Betnijah Laney and the Washington Mystics' Kia Vaughn qualifying for the Eastern Conference Playoffs.
Chicago meets Indiana in semifinal action on Thursday, Sept. 17 while New York and Washington begin their series on Friday, Sept. 18.
The Chicago Sky won six of its final eight games to finish with an overall record of 21-13. Chicago and Indiana played four times during the regular season, with Chicago winning the series 4-0. This will be the third consecutive season the Sky and Fever meet in a WNBA playoff series.
Pondexter enters the playoffs averaging 18.2 points, 4.0 rebounds and 4.0 assists per game, while teammate Laney has come off the bench to average 2.9 points and 2.1 rebounds per contest in her rookie season.
New York finished the regular season with a franchise all-time best 23-11 record to secure the top seed in the Eastern Conference for the first time since 2002 and the best overall record in the WNBA for the first time in franchise history.
Prince is putting up 15.0 points, 2.9 rebounds and 3.4 assists entering the postseason, while Carson chimed in an average of 6.1 points and 2.3 rebounds at the end of the regular season. Wheeler, who began the season with the Atlanta Dream before signing an end of the year contract with the Liberty, has produced 4.7 points in her three games with New York thus far.
For the first time in franchise history, the Mystics have made the playoffs for the third consecutive year (2013, 2014, 2015). Washington clinched a playoff spot following a 76-72 overtime victory over the Indiana Fever last Tuesday.
Vaughn enters the playoffs averaging 5.7 points and 4.2 rebounds per game and shooting at a 45.1 percent clip from the floor.
Chicago vs. Indiana
Game 1 – Thu. September 17 Indiana at Chicago- 8:00PM - ESPN2
Game 2 – Sat. September 19 Chicago at Indiana - 7:00PM - NBA TV
Game 3 * - Mon. September 21 Indiana at Chicago - 8:00PM - NBA TV
New York vs. Washington
Game 1 – Fri. September 18 Washington at New York - 7:00PM - NBA TV
Game 2 – Sun. September 20 New York at Washington - 1:00PM - ESPN
Game 3 * - Tue. September 22 Washington at New York - TBD - ESPN2
*If necessary
The WNBA Playoff format features a best-of-three series for the conference finals and semifinals, followed by a best-of-five series for the WNBA Finals. The format is 1-1-1 during conference play then 2-2-1 for the WNBA Finals.
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