Whalen led the Sun to a first round sweep over the Mystics. Mitchell Layton/Contributor/NBAE/Getty

Making her third postseason appearance in only her third season in the WNBA, Connecticut's Lindsay Whalen leads the Sun back to the Conference Finals and hoping to return to the Finals yet again. Whalen was a primary reason for Connecticut's first round win over the Washington Mystics.

The former 2004 first round pick (fourth overall) finished the regular season with averages of 9.0 points, 4.6 assists and 3.7 rebounds while starting 33 games for the first place Sun.

But like any suprerstar, Whalen raised her game once the postseason arrived. Last week, the 2006 All-Star led the Sun to a first round sweep over the Washington Mystics by averaging 18.5 points, 3.5 rebounds and 2.5 assists. She also shot 50 percent from the field as well as from beyond the arc. Whalen scored a game-high 22 points in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semi-finals and scored 15 points in Game 2.

Among overall league ranks, Whalen finished the 2006 regular season ranked fourth in assists per game (4.6 apg) and third in free throw percentage (90.3% ft). .

During her two prior playoff appearances, the former Kodak All-American from the University of Minnesota averaged 12.3 points, 4.3 assists and 2.8 rebounds in 15 postseason games.

Week Eleven
Date	Opp	Result	Min	FG	3P	FT	OFF	DEF	TOT	AST	ST	BL	TO	PF	PTS
August 18	at Washington	76-61 W	35	9-18	3-6	1-1	1	2	3	3	2	1	3	1	22
August 20	vs. Washington	68-65 W	30	3-6	1-2	8-12	0	4	4	2	1	0	4	1	15