The WNBA on Tour


The stars of the WNBA have split into the East and West for a four-city exhibition tour called the Regal By Buick WNBA on Tour. This tour began on October 22 and will finish on November 1 in New Orleans.

Game one kicked off in Des Moines, Iowa and the underdog East squad edged out a 81-79 win over a strong West team. The East's Merlakia Jones led the team with 18 points, 5 of 7 from the field and 7 of 9 free throws. The West's powerhouse Yolanda Griffith was held to five points but came up big on the boards with 13 rebounds. Lisa Leslie, Nykesha Sales and Jennifer Azzi came out on fire for the West hitting consecutive three-point buckets. Azzi did a solid job running the offense and connecting with Utah Stazz teammate Natalie Williams. However, the speed of the East was too much for the talented West team.

The second game of the tour was on October 25 in St. Louis. The West battled back form its loss in game one and defeated the East 91-86. Griffith was the offensive force WNBA fans are used to seeing. She racked up 12 points in 16 minutes. The East turned to Sheri Sam and Andrea Stinson to help Kara Wolters and Vicki Bullet in the paint. Shannon "Pee Wee" Johnson and Stinson were able to penetrate the tough West defense on occasion. The West's Katie Smith and Sophia Witherspoon lit it up from the perimeter in the second half. Despite a charge by the East, which was led by Rita Williams, Nikki McCray and Grace Daley, the West's shooting held off the offensive threat. Smith ended the night with 19 points and Jones notched 15 points for her East squad.

On Saturday, the two teams headed into game three in Little Rock, Arkansas. The West prevailed again, winning 77-69. The quickness of the East's backcourt dominated in the first half. Jones and McCray took advantage of the numerous scoring opportunities the West's defense gave them. While the East owned the perimeter, Williams kept the West alive with her great post play. McCray hit back-to-back threes to hold onto the East's lead going into the half. The second half was a battle in the paint. Bullett and Griffith got the crowd going with their dominating offense and aggressive defense. Griffith put on a show and ended the night with 19 points and 8 boards. Bullett held her own and had 13 second half points. Johnson used her quickness to lead a comeback for the East but it wasn't enough.

The copyright of the article The WNBA on Tour in Women's Professional Sport is owned by . Permission to republish The WNBA on Tour in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

Go To Page: 1 2

Articles in this Topic    Discussions in this Topic