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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Minnesota seizes Augustus


LSU's Seimone Augustus, hauling down a rebound during an early January game, was the top selection in Wednesday's WNBA draft. 
 (Associated Press / The Spokesman-Review)
From Wire Reports The Spokesman-Review

Seimone Augustus ran the gamut of emotions this weekend in Boston.

Hoping to win the NCAA women’s title with LSU, the nation’s leading scorer and the Lady Tigers were ousted in the national semifinal Sunday night by Duke. Three days later, Augustus was back on top as the No. 1 pick in the WNBA draft.

LSU’s go-to player is going to Minnesota.

“After the semifinal loss, I mainly went back to my room and read books to try to keep my mind off of what just happened,” Augustus said. “Once I got with the WNBA staff, it was focusing on trying to be prepared for the draft, getting ready for my career and my future.”

The two-time Associated Press Player of the Year led the nation in scoring with 23 points a game. She also led the Lady Tigers to three straight Final Fours.

Rutgers’ guard Cappie Pondexter was selected second by the Phoenix Mercury. Duke’s Monique Currie was the third pick taken by the Charlotte Sting. Duke fell short in the NCAA title game Tuesday night, losing to Maryland in overtime.

Baylor’s Sophia Young was chosen by the San Antonio Silver Stars, and the Los Angeles Sparks took UCLA’s Lisa Willis to round out the top five.

Augustus used her fluid jump shot to put up impressive numbers from the moment she stepped on campus, a Baton Rouge high school star hailed as the biggest recruiting catch in LSU history.

She scored 27 points in her debut against Arizona and has scored in double figures an NCAA-record 132 times in her 140 games. She finished her career with 2,702 points.

Pondexter will join a backcourt that includes All-Star Diana Taurasi. Pondexter, a 5-9 Chicago native, has sported a WNBA tattoo on her arm since high school in anticipation of this day.

Currie could help boost ticket sales for the Sting by giving them a player with local appeal for their first season in a new downtown arena.

There were three rounds and 42 picks overall.

Storm pick UConn star

Many analysts thought the Seattle Storm would pick a forward in the first round of the WNBA draft, but none of them figured it would be Barbara Turner.

But that’s what the Storm did, making the 6-foot forward out of the University of Connecticut the No. 11 selection of the draft.

The Storm also selected 6-3 forward Dalila Eshe from Florida with the 25th pick in the second round, and in what was perhaps the biggest surprise of the draft, chose Erin Grant, a 5-8 guard from Texas Tech, with the 39th pick in the third round. Grant was thought to be a late first round or second-round selection.

Title game ratings up

The ratings for ESPN’s broadcast of the NCAA women’s championship game were up 19 percent from last year.

Maryland’s overtime victory over Duke on Tuesday night drew a 3.1 overnight rating, up from last year’s 2.6.

The tournament was the most viewed on ESPN, averaging 1,322,717 households – up 31 percent from 2005. ESPN’s average rating was a 1.5, a 15 percent increase from last year’s 1.3 and tied for the highest with 2004.

Terps fans out of shell

The Maryland Terrapins returned to campus at College Park with the school’s first NCAA women’s basketball championship and were greeted by thousands of cheering fans.

Some in the exuberant crowd at the outdoor amphitheater waved signs that read “Fear the Turtle.”

Crystal Langhorne recalled that when she signed with Maryland, many high school friends questioned her decision.

“Look at us now. We’re national champions!” she said.