SACRAMENTO, CALIF., March 23, 2007– The Sacramento Monarchs today announced the organization acquired La'Tangela Atkinson from the Indiana Fever in exchange for the Monarchs 2008 second round draft pick.

Indiana originally selected the 6’2” guard/forward in the first round (ninth overall) of the 2006 WNBA Draft last April. In her rookie season, Atkinson appeared in 33 games with the Fever, including one start. She averaged 12.6 minutes, 3.0 points, 2.3 rebounds, 0.7 assists, 0.6 steal, and 0.2 blocks per game.

A 2006 All-America honorable mention honoree, Atkinson finished her career at North Carolina as the first player in ACC history to record more than 1,000 career points, 1,000 career rebounds and 350 career assists. She did not miss a game in her four-year career, playing in all 134 games and starting 117. She averaged 9.2 points, 7.6 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 1.6 steals, 26.9 minutes per game. In 2006 she led her team to the NCAA Final Four, a 33-2 record and a No. 1 ranking for most of her senior season. She also earned 2006 ACC All-Defensive team honors.

“We are excited to add La’Tangela to the Monarchs roster,” said Monarchs General Manager John Whisenant. “She is a defensive stopper at the small forward that will fill a major role for the team.”

The 2006 WNBA Western Conference Champion Sacramento Monarchs will host the Los Angeles Sparks in their Home Opener on Saturday, June 2, at 7 p.m., at ARCO Arena, in a rematch of the 2006 WNBA Western Conference Finals. Sacramento begins the season with their first four games on the road, including the WNBA season opener against the 2006 WNBA Champion Detroit Shock on Saturday, May 19, at 12:30 p.m. PDT.