Wiggins adjusts to competition
Candice Wiggins just went through a season’s worth of losses in a nine-day stretch.
The Minnesota rookie’s pro career got off to a strong start as the Lynx opened with five wins for the first time in franchise history.
They’ve lost four of five since, however, matching Wiggins’ loss total during her senior season at Stanford, with the last coming in the NCAA championship game against Tennessee.
“It’s something I’m not used to,” Wiggins said. “It’s an adjustment. Everyone’s good, so you’re going to have to come out every game. It’s not like you have games where you can take a break. Every game is tough, I’m learning that.”
Wiggins is also learning to excel in her role. Despite coming off the bench, she is second on the Lynx in scoring at 17.3 points per game and tops in assists at 3.9.
“I’ve been really blessed with a great situation, great coaches, and teammates are helping me adjust,” said Wiggins, who averaged 20.2 points, 4.8 rebounds and 3.1 assists in her final season at Stanford. “It’s the same game, just different players.”
In Minnesota’s 77-76 loss at New York last weekend, Wiggins had a season-high 26 points on 8-for-13 shooting from the field and 8 for 9 on free throws. She had a chance for the win on the game’s final possession, but took a tough shot that bounced off the rim and was knocked away as time expired.
Swoopes: Watch for Comets
Although the Houston Comets entered the weekend with eight losses and were sitting in last place in the Western Conference, Sheryl Swoopes cautioned against underestimating her former team.
“You really can’t look at their record and think that they are not very good because they are honestly one of the better teams in the league,” said the veteran forward, who left the Comets to sign with Seattle in the off-season.
Three of Houston’s losses have been by four points or fewer, including a 64-63 defeat at Seattle on June 1. The Comets won the second meeting, 68-60 at home last Saturday in Swoopes’ first time in Houston as a visiting player.
“They have definitely played us harder than any other team,” Swoopes said. “We knew coming in that they were going to be ready, they were going to be aggressive, they were going to attack us.”
Houston built an eight-point lead in the second quarter against Seattle, stretched it to 11 in the third and then held on.
“I think that we have been having good starts. It is more so the finishes than the starts,” Houston’s Tina Thompson said. “We have been starting games fairly well. We are playing against talented players and talented teams, so it is going to be a struggle. When we have a lead we need to concentrate more on keeping it.”
Quote of the week
“There are good teams in the league – the West has good teams and the East has good teams. Who wants the ball more? You need the ball to be able to score. … You can have great scorers, but without the ball you can’t score. So, whatever it takes: Get the ball and get it done.”