Connecticut's Charles, Minnesota's Augustus Named WNBA Eastern and Western Conference Players of the Week

NEW YORK, August 8, 2011 - Tina Charles of the Connecticut Sun and Seimone Augustus of the Minnesota Lynx were named the WNBA�s Eastern and Western Conference Players of the Week, respectively, for regular season games played Monday, August 1 through Sunday, August 7.

Charles led the WNBA in rebounding with 13.3 per game and was third in the Eastern Conference (fifth in the WNBA) in scoring with 20.3 points per game. Charles also paced the league in minutes played (38.3 mpg). In the process, the University of Connecticut product led the Sun to a 2-1 record during a West Coast road trip. This marks Charles� third Player of the Week honor in 2011 and the fourth such honor in her two WNBA seasons.

Charles began last week with the first of three straight double-doubles, a 20-point, 13-rebound effort in a 79-70 win over the host Los Angeles Sparks. She followed that up by registering 18 points, 10 boards, three assists, two steals and two blocks in a last-second, 81-79 defeat at the hands of the Seattle Storm. The 2010 WNBA Rookie of the Year closed out the week with a 23-point, 17-rebound effort in a 96-96 overtime win in Phoenix against the Mercury.

With the Sun in second place in the Eastern Conference at 13-7, Charles is averaging 18.1 points and 10.9 rebounds for the season, leading Connecticut in both categories. She is is the WNBA�s leader in rebounding and double-doubles (14), and ranks fifth in scoring average and blocks (1.45 bpg).

Augustus guided Minnesota to a 3-0 record on the week, helping the Lynx extend their franchise-record winning streak to nine games and their league-best record to 16-4. In the process, the No. 1 overall pick in 2006, ranked third in the Western Conference in scoring with 16.7 points per game while shooting 19-of-40 (.475) from the field and contributing 4.7 rebounds per game.

The Western Conference Player of the Month in July, Augustus picked up where she left off. After registering 21 points, four rebounds and a pair of assists to open the week in a 90-73 victory over their conference rival, the Phoenix Mercury, she closed the week with 19 points, seven boards, three assists, two steals and a block in an 84-78 win at Los Angeles. In between, Augustus had a 10-point, three-rebound, two-block outing in a last-second win over another conference rival, the San Antonio Silver Stars. It marked the second straight game in which Minnesota downed San Antonio with late heroics.

On the season, Augustus is averaging 16.4 points (third in the West, eighth in the WNBA) and 3.9 rebounds. The sixth-year star�s .495 field goal percentage is sixth best in the West and tied for 12th in the league.

For the LSU product, who leads the Lynx in scoring, it marks her second Player of the Week honor this season, and the sixth of her career.

Other candidates for WNBA Players of the Week were Atlanta�s Angel McCoughtry, Chicago�s Sylvia Fowles, Connecticut�s Renee Montgomery, Minnesota�s Taj McWilliams-Franklin and Lindsay Whalen, New York�s Cappie Pondexter, Phoenix�s Diana Taurasi, Tulsa�s Tiffany Jackson, and Washington�s Matee Ajavon.