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Nolan, Parker earn WNBA Player of the Week honors
Detroit Shock guard Deanna Nolan and Los Angeles Sparks forward Candace Parker were named the WNBA Eastern and Western Conference Players of the Week, respectively, for the period ending Sunday, September 13.
Nolan claimed her third consecutive weekly award and sixth such career honor for averaging 20.7 points while posting 6.0 rebounds and 3.7 assists. The Shock finished the week 2-1 and earned a playoff spot for the seventh straight season.
The four-time WNBA All-Star became just the second player in history to win the award three weeks in a row. The other was Phoenix guard Cappie Pondexter, who accomplished the feat earlier this season.
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Mercury's Taurasi named WNBA MVP
Phoenix's Diana Taurasi has been named the 2009 WNBA Most Valuable Player.
Taurasi received 323 total points and 27 first-place votes in winning her first career MVP award. Indiana's Tamika Catchings was second in the voting with 163 points and three first-place votes, while Indiana's Katie Douglas (five first-place votes), Phoenix's Cappie Pondexter (one first-place vote) and San Antonio's Becky Hammon rounded out the top five.
In her sixth season in the league, Taurasi averaged a league-high 20.4 points along with 5.7 rebounds and 3.5 assists in 31 games. The guard-forward also shot a career-high 46.1 percent from the field and led the league in three- pointers made (79). She became the fastest player to 4,000 career points on September 5, reaching that mark in 197 games to break Lauren Jackson's record (209).
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Taurasi selected to fourth straight WNBA First Team
Phoenix Mercury star forward Diana Taurasi was selected to her fourth straight All-WNBA First Team on Wednesday, as the league announced its selections for the First and Second Team.
Taurasi, who led all vote-getters with 201 points, paced the league in scoring (20.4 ppg) while guiding Phoenix to the best record in the Western Conference along with teammate Cappie Pondexter, who garnered the first All-WNBA honor of her career.
Seattle Storm center Lauren Jackson, Indiana Fever forward Tamika Catchings and San Antonio Silver Stars guard Becky Hammon also made the First Team. Jackson has been awarded the distinction six times, with Catchings making it for the fourth time and Hammon twice.
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Washington routs cold Washington State 92-64
Quincy Pondexter had 29 points and 12 rebounds, recently ill Isaiah Thomas revived with 19 points while leading a runaway rally in the second half and Washington blew past cold, benched Klay Thompson and Washington State 92-64 on Saturday.
Thompson, the sixth-leading scorer in the nation at 22.3 points per game, was late to the Cougars' team bus Friday to begin the cross-state trip to their rival. Former Huskies assistant Ken Bone, the Washington State coach, then put Thompson on the bench to begin Saturday's game.
Thompson, who had started his first 53 games at Washington State, finished with seven points on Saturday, tying his season low. The sophomore didn't make his second field goal until 3:31 remained. Washington led 85-59 by then.
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Thomas, Pondexter send UW over ASU
Isaiah Thomas responded from being benched the game before to score 17 points, Quincy Pondexter added 17 and resurgent Washington cruised to a 79-56 victory over Arizona State on Saturday night.
The Huskies (16-7, 6-5 Pac-10) and Sun Devils (16-8, 6-5) are in a five-way tie for second place in the scrambled conference, one game behind California. Seven games remain in the league's regular season.
Washington coach Lorenzo Romar benched Thomas at times in Thursday's win over Arizona for not leading the offense efficiently. Unfazed, last season's Pac-10 freshman of the year ignited a 25-6 run to begin the game as the Huskies avenged a 17-point loss in Tempe last month.
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