What’s Trending: August 24, 2015

Mon, Aug 24, 2015, 4:18 PM
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Brian Kotloff

With so much #SummerHoops to take in this season, it’s hard to keep track of all of the storylines that will play out on a nightly basis this WNBA season. That’s what What’s Trending is for.

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Here, we’ll bring you the 10 things you need to know, see, listen to and/or watch in the past and coming week. It’s your one-stop shop for all things W, from which teams are on a roll to which players are coming up big to what the league’s superstars are up to off the court.

Here’s What’s Trending on August 24, 2015:

#WNBAPlayoffs: Races Taking Shape with Three Weeks Left

As recently as 10 days ago, 11 of the league’s 12 teams were within 1.5 games of a playoff spot. The cream has since risen to the top, as the Mystics and Sparks hold three-game leads for the fourth and final playoff spots in their respective conferences.

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The regular season ends on Sunday, Sept. 13 and the 2015 WNBA Playoffs presented by Boost Mobile begin on Sept. 17.

#FeverWin: Indiana Rises to Within One Game of Top Seed

The league’s hottest team notched perhaps its biggest win of the season on Sunday as the Fever topped the Liberty, moving to just one game behind New York for the top spot in the Eastern Conference.

Indiana has won six straight and is 9-1 since the All-Star break, beating opponents by an average of 14.1 points per game in those nine wins. The normally gritty, defensive-minded Fever boast the league’s second most efficient offense, lead the league in three-point shooting percentage, and are forcing the most turnovers.

#10ForOurTown: Sky Hit Back-to-Back Late Game-Winners

It was a new hero, but same result for the Chicago Sky during their sweep of the Washington Mystics this weekend, which vaulted them to the No. 3 spot in the East.

On Friday, Alley Quigley drained a three-pointer with 2.1 seconds left to give Chicago an 87-85 win.

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On Sunday, Cappie Pondexter drove in for the go-ahead layup with 6.7 seconds left of a 66-64 win.

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#TogetherWeWILL: Mercury to Visit White House on Wednesday

The 2014 WNBA champion Phoenix Mercury will be honored by President Obama at the White House on Wednesday at 12:15 PM ET.

The 2015 Mercury appear set to put up a strong title defense, currently sitting in second place in the West at 16-11.

#WNBACares: 14-Year-Old Kiara Hood Joins Sky for A Day

On Friday, the Chicago Sky welcomed a new addition to their team in Kiara Hood, a 14-year-old from Illinois with hemiplegic cerebral palsy. Hood lived out her dream as she joined the squad for its game against the Mystics.

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#GirlPower: Hillary Clinton Shouts Out Liberty

Last week, the New York Liberty treated 10-year-old Kymora Johnson and her Charlottesville Cavaliers teammates to an exhibition game at Madison Square Garden. (The team had been disqualified from the boys’ under-11 NBTA tournament for having a girl on their team.)

The story drew national attention, even catching the eye of presidential candidate Hillary Clinton:

#ShockTulsa: Shock Bounce Back with Three Straight Wins

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The Tulsa Shock’s season appeared to be on the brink just 12 days ago, when the team lost its 10th straight game and had three playoff hopefuls on its heels.

They’ve since rebounded with three huge wins over playoff contenders New York, Phoenix and Connecticut and are once again comfortably in position as the West’s No. 3 seed. Second-year guard Odyssey Sims has led the way with games of 27, 15 and 19 points during the streak.

#WeAreLA: Big Weekend for Parker, Sparks

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Like the Shock, the Sparks have endured a roller coaster of a season that hit another high over the weekend.

After topping the defending champions in Phoenix on Friday, L.A. blew out the Stars behind another brilliant performance from Candace Parker. The two-time MVP came up one assist shy of a triple-double for the second time this season (20 points, 12 rebounds, 9 assists) and is posting a historic line of 18.4 points, 10.0 rebounds and 6.5 assists through 11 games.

#StandforLiberty: Surging in New York

Go behind the scenes with the East-leading Liberty, who at 18-8 are positioned to finish atop the conference for the first time in 13 years.

#SAStars: Get to Know Kayla McBride

Sweet-shooting guard Kayla McBride keeps climbing the ranks as one of the league’s top scorers out of the backcourt. Hear from the second-year pro and Notre Dame alum during her stellar sophomore season (14.8 PPG).

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