Jessica Breland scores 15 points and grabs six rebounds while Adut Bulgak drops 12 points as the Chicago Sky fly past the Connecticut Sun, 96-83.

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Sky 96, Sun 83

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SAN ANTONIO– The San Antonio Stars today announced that they have signed forward Adut Bulgak (Uh-DOOT Bull-GACK) to a training camp contract.
Bulgak was selected 12th overall in the 2016 WNBA Draft by the New York Liberty. In seven games with New York, she averaged 2.0 points and 1.3 rebounds in 3.3 minutes.  She spent two seasons at Florida State University, averaging 12.5 points and 8.7 rebounds, and ranks fourth in rebounding average (8.7) and ninth in blocked shots (88) in program history. Bulgak played her freshman and sophomore seasons at Trinity Valley Community College, where she was named 2014 NJCCA Division I player of the year.
Bulgak is currently playing for IDK Gipuzkoa Universidad Del Pais Vasco in Spain, where she is averaging 9.1 points and 7.9 rebounds in 20.3 minutes.

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Stars Sign Adut Bulgak to Training Camp Contract

Adut Bulgak&#8217;s best plays so far from 2016

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The Best From Bulgak's Rookie Season

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Team Previews: <a href="http://wnba.com/news/2016-wnba-season-preview-atlanta-dream" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Atlanta</a> | <a href="http://wnba.com/news/2016-wnba-season-preview-chicago-sky/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Chicago</a> | <a href="http://wnba.com/news/2016-wnba-season-preview-connecticut-sun" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Connecticut</a> | <a href="http://wnba.com/news/2016-wnba-season-preview-dallas-wings/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Dallas</a> | <a href="http://wnba.com/news/2016-wnba-season-preview-indiana-fever/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Indiana</a> | <a href="http://wnba.com/news/2016-wnba-season-preview-los-angeles-sparks/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Los Angeles</a> | <a href="http://wnba.com/news/2016-wnba-season-preview-minnesota-lynx/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Minnesota</a> | <a href="http://wnba.com/news/2016-wnba-season-preview-new-york-liberty" target="_blank" rel="noopener">New York</a> | <a href="http://wnba.com/news/2016-wnba-season-preview-phoenix-mercury" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Phoenix</a> | <a href="http://wnba.com/news/2016-wnba-season-preview-san-antonio-stars" target="_blank" rel="noopener">San Antonio</a> | <a href="http://wnba.com/news/2016-wnba-season-preview-seattle-storm" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Seattle</a> | <a href="http://wnba.com/news/2016-wnba-season-preview-washington-mystics" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Washington</a>
2015 Record: 
23-11 
Lost in Eastern Conference Finals
Key Offseason Moves: 
Signed Shavonte Zellous (IND) 
Lost Essence Carson to free agency (LAS) 
Drafted Adut Bulgak (R1, P12)
Outlook: 
The players. The coach. The city. Those three facets were working in parallel last season when the New York Liberty won a franchise-record 23 games and earned the No. 1 overall seed in the Playoffs.
Intense team defense &#8212; lauded by generations of Madison Square Garden crowds &#8212; became the calling card for a team that inched within a win of the WNBA Finals.
&#8220;I think the players know New York is a special place to play,&#8221; Liberty coach Bill Laimbeer said. &#8220;The fans are very knowledgeable, very demanding and they want effort and they want consistent effort, and when you put together a defensive team like we had last year and hopefully this year, they appreciate the energy and time put in to get that accomplished.&#8221;
The Liberty led the WNBA in scoring defense (71.1 points per game) and help opponents to a league-low 39% shooting.
&#8220;We practice extensively on defense and demand of our players accountability both individually and with a team concept,&#8221; Laimbeer said. &#8220;Last year it was very successful for us and that feeds the mindset of the players. They know that&#8217;s where they hang their hat.&#8221;
Having players that are known for defense, Laimbeer said, also helps the process of becoming an elite team on that side of the ball. The addition of gritty veteran Tanisha Wright and the drafting of Kiah Stokes a year ago are two other reasons &#8212; aside from tenacity and work ethic &#8212; that fueled the Liberty&#8217;s defense.
Stokes was named First Team All-Rookie after averaging 2.0 blocks and 6.4 rebounds per game.
&#8220;We got her as a known defender and shot blocker,&#8221; Laimbeer said. &#8220;I didn&#8217;t think she&#8217;d be as good as she was last year so quickly.&#8221;
Improvement also came from within. Laimbeer mentioned that he thinks Liberty superstar Tina Charles had her best season defensively last year.
&#8220;I think the intense peer pressure of the team is one factor,&#8221; Laimbeer said of the improvement. &#8220;I think that she conformed and followed along. She always had it in her talent-wise; it&#8217;s just a matter of applying that talent and last year she did and she saw the results.&#8221;
The presence of Charles is one of the reasons the Liberty continue to have lofty expectations in 2016, despite the loss of Epiphanny Prince, the team&#8217;s second leading scorer (15.0 points per game) who will miss an extended period of time this season and likely to be replaced by second-year guard Brittany Boyd. That&#8217;s where Charles&#8217; consistency comes into play.
&#8220;Every year you know you&#8217;re going to get 17 or 18 points and 10 rebounds. As a coach, to rely on that every night, that&#8217;s a huge bonus,&#8221; Laimbeer said. &#8220;She also went through a Playoffs series or two that really showed what she&#8217;s capable of doing. Everybody else knew it already, but in her own mind she took that next towards realizing she can be a great player.&#8221;
With Charles and a stifling defense, the Liberty could be in for another promising year in New York.

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2016 WNBA Season Preview: New York Liberty

With the last pick in the first round of the 2016 WNBA Draft, the New York Liberty select Adut Bulgak, a center from Florida State University, with the No. 12 pick.

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New York Liberty select Adut Bulgak with the No. 12 pick

Latest

Adut Bulgak

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CAREER HIGHLIGHTS:
<ul>
<li>Selected by the New York Liberty in the First Round of the 2016 WNBA Draft, 12th overall selection</li>
</ul>
OVERSEAS COMPETITION:
<ul>
<li>2015-16: Guided the Canadian National Development Team to a Silver Medal at the World University Games in Gwangju, South Korea</li>
<li>2014-15: Helped the Canada Senior Women’s National B Team earn a championship in the William Jones Cup in Taiwan</li>
</ul>
COLLEGE HIGHLIGHTS:
<ul>
<li>In just two seasons at FSU, Bulgak left an enormous imprint on the program by being one of just three players to earn All-America status multiple times</li>
<li>As a senior in the 2015-16 season:
<ul>
<li>2016 WBCA Honorable Mention All-American</li>
<li>WBCA All-Region honoree</li>
<li>Senior CLASS Second Team All-American</li>
<li>All-ACC Second Team</li>
<li>2016 All-ACC Second Team (Coaches)</li>
<li>2016 Senior CLASS Award finalist</li>
<li>2016 Naismith Trophy Watch List</li>
<li>Wade Watch List</li>
<li>ohn R. Wooden Preseason Top 30</li>
<li>ACC Player of the Week (Nov. 23, 2015)</li>
<li>AP Preseason All-American, Preseason All-ACC Team.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>As a junior in the 2014-15 season:
<ul>
<li>Team MVP</li>
<li>WBCA Honorable Mention All-American</li>
<li>Associated Press Honorable Mention All-American</li>
<li>WBCA All-Region</li>
<li>All-ACC First Team (Blue Ribbon Panel and ACC Coaches)</li>
<li>Cancun Challenge All-Tournament Team</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>At Trinity Valley Community College (2012-14)
<ul>
<li>Women’s Basketball Coaches Association NJCAA Division Player of the Year</li>
<li>Two-time NJCAA All-American</li>
<li>Earned WBCA/JUCO Freshman of the Year honors in her 2012-13 campaign.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
PERSONAL:
<ul>
<li>Born Dec. 20, 1992</li>
<li>Daughter of Ayen Alith</li>
<li>Majored in sociology</li>
<li>Favorite movie is “Love and Basketball”</li>
<li>Favorite recording artist is The Weeknd</li>
<li>Loves pecan praline ice cream</li>
<li>Can speak three languages; English, Arabic and Dinka</li>
<li>Career ambition is to be a lawyer</li>
</ul>
</div>