KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — With the WNBA season less than a month away from the playoffs, former Lady Vols are leaving their marks on the court.
Diamond DeShields notched a season-high 28 points against Las Vegas on Aug. 18, which also tied her career high. Altogether, the LVFL has scored in double digits 22 times this season and has now found her way into double figures for 16-straight games. DeShields leads her team in scoring with 15.3 ppg., ranking ninth overall in the league.
Candace Parker scored a season-high 21 points against Seattle on Aug. 4 to earn WNBA Western Conference Player of the Week honors. She followed that up with a double-double in the next game, tallying 12 points and 11 rebounds against Phoenix on Aug. 8.
Connecticut Sun’s Shekinna Stricklen tied her season high of 24 points against Seattle on Aug. 16. Her team is one of only three to already clinch a spot in postseason play.
On Aug. 16 Isabelle Harrison tied her career high of 15 points as the Wings defeated the New York Liberty. She then followed that up by tying her career high in rebounding on Aug. 18, recording a double-double against Connecticut with 11 points and 13 rebounds.
Fellow Dallas player Glory Johnson also recently posted a season high, scoring 20 points to help the Wings claim victory over the Sparks on Aug. 14.
Mercedes Russell has stepped up for Seattle this year and has started in 24 games so far, despite not having any starts in the lineup last year. She is currently averaging 7.5 ppg. and 6.2 rpg. while competing for 25.8 mpg. The former Lady Vol has also been shooting at 51.5 percent from the field, ranking her sixth in the league.
Competition around the league starts heating up even more as the regular season comes to a close on Sept. 8, with playoffs kicking off three days later.
Diamond DeShields
Chicago Sky | G | 2nd Season
DeShields has started in all 26 of the Chicago Sky’s games this season. She is averaging 15.3 ppg., 5.8 rpg. and shooting a steady 83.5 percent from the free throw line. She leads the team in scoring and is currently ranked ninth in the league in ppg. Her next game is Tuesday when the Sky travel to Atlanta at 7 p.m. ET (Twitter and The U Too).
Isabelle Harrison
Dallas Wings | F/C | 4th Season
After sitting out all of last season due to medical reasons, Harrison has been averaging a little over 24.9 minutes a game while tallying 8.2 ppg. and 5.5 rpg. Along with her recent double-double, Harrison has now scored in double digits 10 times this season. She’ll hit the court again Thursday, traveling to Minnesota for an 8 p.m. ET tip (League Pass).
Glory Johnson
Dallas Wings | F | 7th Season
Johnson has appeared in 21 games for Dallas, starting in 13. She’s currently averaging 7.7 ppg. and 5.6 rbg., while playing 24.0 mpg. The LVFL recently scored in double digits for three-straight games, including a season-high of 20 points against the Los Angeles Sparks. She’ll hit the court again Thursday, traveling to Minnesota for an 8 p.m. ET tip (League Pass).
Candace Parker
Los Angeles Sparks | F/C | 12th Season
Initially sidelined with a hamstring injury at the start of the season, Parker saw action in seven games before suffering an ankle injury on July 9 against Dallas. She returned to action on Aug. 1 against Las Vegas and scored 16 points. The former Lady Vol has been averaging 9.4 ppg. and 6.4 rpg. through the 13 games in which she’s been active. The Sparks return to action Tuesday at 10:30 p.m. ET as they host the Minnesota Lynx (NBA TV, Spectrum, Sportsnet, NBA TV Canada).
Mercedes Russell
Seattle Storm | C | 2nd Season
Russell has been given a bigger role this year for the Storm as she has seen action in all 28 games and started in 24. She is averaging 7.5 ppg. and 6.2 rpg. with 25.8 mpg. She currently ranks 18th in the league in rebounding and sixth in field goal percentage with 51.5 percent. She recently scored 10 points against Washington and 12 points against Los Angeles. Seattle hosts the Indiana Fever on Sunday, facing off at 7 p.m. ET (JoeTV and League Pass).
Shekinna Stricklen
Connecticut Sun | G/F | 8th Season
Stricklen has started in all 27 games this season for the Connecticut Sun, as the team is in second place in the league standings and has clinched a playoff spot. She is sitting at 8.9 ppg. and has chipped in 1.9 rpg. while playing 23.4 mpg. so far this season. Her next game is against the Las Vegas Aces on Friday starting at 7:30 p.m. ET (NBA TV, NESN+, NBA TV Canada).
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