Mercury Guard Diana Taurasi Named WNBA Player of the Week

NEW YORK, July 10, 2006 – Diana Taurasi of the Phoenix Mercury was named WNBA Player of the Week for games played Monday, July 3 through Sunday, July 10. The 2006 WNBA All-Star earned the second Player of the Week award in her career.

Taurasi averaged 24.7 points, 5.7 rebounds, 4.7 assists and 1.7 steals and shot 44 percent from field-goal range (26-for-59) and 69 percent from the free throw line (11-for-16) as the Mercury posted a 2-1 record on a three-game road trip.

She scored a career-high 36 points in a 94-88 overtime victory over the New York Liberty on Sunday, July 9, while pulling down 9 rebounds, dishing 5 assists, grabbing 3 steals and shooting 12-for-22 from the field, 7-for-12 from three-point range and 5-for-6 from the free throw line.

The day before, Taurasi had an equally impressive game with 25 points, 4 assists, 4 rebounds and 10-for-24 field goals in a 77-82 loss against the Connecticut Sun.

Taurasi currently leads the league in three-point field goals made (63.0), is ranked second in points per game (23.2) and third in points (417.0) and field-goals made (144.0).

Other candidates for WNBA Player of the Week were Connecticut’s Taj McWilliams-Franklin, Indiana’s Anna DeForge, Minnesota’s Seimone Augustus, Sacramento’s Nicole Powell and Washington’s Chasity Melvin.

About the WNBA
Featuring 14 teams and the greatest female basketball players from around the world, the WNBA is the longest-running and most successful women’s professional team sports league in U.S. history. The WNBA’s 10th Anniversary season includes appointment viewing on Tuesday nights as ESPN2 will televise 14 WNBA games – including five doubleheaders – on Tuesdays this spring/summer. The 2006 WNBA All-Star Game set to take place on July 12 at Madison Square Garden in New York City (live on ESPN at 7:00 ET). WNBA games and programming also will be shown in 198 countries via 79 telecasters in 34 languages this season.