Latest news with #TopPerformer
Yahoo
14 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Paige Bueckers' Replacement Turned Heads on Saturday
Paige Bueckers' Replacement Turned Heads on Saturday originally appeared on Athlon Sports. Paige Bueckers missed her fifth game of the season for the Dallas Wings on Saturday after being ruled out against the Washington Mystics with a knee injury. Advertisement Stepping in to replace Bueckers in the starting five was fellow rookie JJ Quinerly, who got her first career start after averaging just 7.2 minutes off the bench in 14 appearances this season. Quinerly made sure to take full advantage of her big opportunity on Saturday by going off for a career-high 15 points on 4-of-6 shooting and 6-of-6 from the charity stripe, to go along with four rebounds, four assists and one triple in 33 minutes of action. Quinerly's eye-opening outing drew the attention of the WNBA, which named the former West Virginia star as the game's Top Performer. View the original article to see embedded media. The WNBA's announcement on Quinerly turned heads on Instagram as the fans shared their reaction to the rookie's big game. Advertisement "🙌🏾🙌🏾🙌🏾🙌🏾" a comment on Instagram read. "JJ Quinerly showed up and showed out — what a debut start! 🌟🏀" an X user commented. "She's been this good. 6th Player of the Year in the future," declared another. Dallas Wings guard JJ Quinerly (11) stepped up for her team after starter guard Paige Bueckers is sidelined with a knee injury.© Jerome Miron-Imagn Images "YESS JJ!!! 🔥" a Wings fan reacted to Dallas also naming Quinerly as the Player of the Game. "she cooked tn🙌" another said. "lil dynamite! 🔥" a reaction read. Quinerly, Dallas' third-round pick from the 2025 WNBA Draft, made waves with her performance on Saturday night. Her move to the starting five won't be a permanent one, especially with Bueckers looking to return for the Wings' matchup against the Phoenix Mercury on Thursday. Advertisement Nevertheless, Quinerly was certainly able to turn a few heads with her strong outing against the Mystics, which could just lead to a more prominent role in the rotation moving forward. Related: Dallas Wings Coach Issues Statement on Paige Bueckers' Injury After Big Game Against Fever Related: Dallas Wings' First Win Without Paige Bueckers Draws the WNBA's Attention Related: Former Fever Player Reveals Striking Similarity Between Caitlin Clark and Paige Bueckers This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 29, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
11-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
WNBA Makes Sabrina Ionescu Announcement After Liberty-Sky Game
WNBA Makes Sabrina Ionescu Announcement After Liberty-Sky Game originally appeared on Athlon Sports. The New York Liberty made history yet again on Tuesday night. This is after the defending champs cruised to an 85-66 victory against Angel Reese and the Chicago Sky at Barclays Center. Advertisement The Liberty improved to 9-0 with this win to extend their franchise record for the best start to a season. On top of that, New York also historically tied the fourth-longest winning streak to begin a WNBA season. Tuesday's big win was thanks in large part to another strong performance from three-time All-Star Sabrina Ionescu, who went off for a game-high 23 points on 9-of-14 shooting, one rebound, seven assists, four steals, two blocks and two triples in 27 minutes of action. After the game, the WNBA took to social media to announce Ionescu winning Top Performer honors for her incredible outing against the Sky. As indicated in the post above, Allisha Gray was also named as a Top Performer on Tuesday after she led the Atlanta Dream to a 77-58 blowout win over the Indiana Fever. Advertisement The Liberty return to action on Saturday, and their next opponent will be the Fever, who are currently missing the services of Caitlin Clark. New York Liberty guard Sabrina Ionescu and Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark watch a free throw.© Grace Smith/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK The reigning WNBA Rookie of the Year has been out of commission for five straight games due to a lingering quad injury, and her status for Saturday's matchup at Gainbridge Fieldhouse against New York has yet to be confirmed. Whatever the case might be, there is no doubt that Ionescu and Co. will be ready for that contest as they look to keep their blistering streak going. Related: New York Liberty Suffer Major Loss on Thursday Related: Angel Reese Issues Statement After Chicago Sky's Troubling News Related: Sabrina Ionescu Reacts to WNBA's Big Announcement on Wednesday This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 11, 2025, where it first appeared.
