Fans interested in attending the All-Star Game may purchase tickets via
www.ticketmaster.com, 877-WNBA-TIX or the Madison Square Garden Box Office.
Pondexter is making a strong case for WNBA Rookie of the Year honors.
Through the games of July 6, she led the league in scoring (22.7 ppg) and
was fifth in total efficiency points (18.9 pg) and seventh in three-point
field-goal percentage (.430). The 5-9 guard is adding 3.7 rebounds, 2.5
assists and 1.2 steals per contest, shooting 46.2 (123-266) percent from the
field and 84.7 (83-98) percent from the free-throw line.
For the games of June 5-12, the Phoenix Mercury guard posted a league-high
28.5 points per contest, shooting 60.5 (23-38) percent from the floor and
72.7 (8-111) percent from the free-throw line, to earn the distinction of
being the WNBA Player of the Week. On June 2, she registered 30 points in a
97-87 loss at Seattle, and on June 6, she posted 30 points in a 90-76
victory against Sacramento, becoming the third player in league history to
register back-to-back 30-point totals (Cynthia Cooper, Sheryl Swoopes).
Most recently, Pondexter established a new rookie scoring record when she
poured in 35 points in a 91-76 victory at Detroit July 6. Phoenix plays at
Connecticut July 8 (3:00 p.m., ESPN2) and at New York July 9 (4:00 p.m., NBA
TV and MSG TV) prior to the All-Star break.
Pondexter will be the third former Scarlet Knight to play in the WNBA
All-Star Game. Former New York Liberty fan favorite Sue Wicks (’88)
participated in 2000, while current Charlotte Sting center Tammy Sutton-Brown (’01) played in 2002.
Joining Pondexter as a reserve for the Western Conference will be her
Mercury teammate Diana Taurasi, as well as Lisa Leslie (Los Angeles),
Seimone Augustus (Minnesota), Tina Thompson (Houston) and Sophia Young (San
Antonio). Sue Bird (Seattle), Yolanda Griffith (Sacramento), Lauren Jackson
(Seattle), Dawn Staley (Houston) and Sheryl Swoopes (Houston) were selected
by the fans as the starters.
For the Eastern Conference, Tamika Catchings (Indiana), Margo Dydek
(Connecticut), Becky Hammon (New York), Nykesha Sales (Connecticut) and
Lindsay Whalen (Connecticut) will serve as the starters. Deana Nolan
(Detroit), Katie Douglas (Connecticut), Cheryl Ford (Detorit), Katie Smith
(Detroit), Tamika Whitmore (Indiana) and Alana Beard (Washington) were
announced as the team’s reserves.
Pondexter was the second overall selection of the 2006 WNBA Draft by the
Phoenix Mercury. A finalist for the State Farm Wade Trophy, the Naismith
Award, the Women’s Wooden Award, the Bayer Advantage Senior CLASS Award, the
Honda Sports Award for Basketball and the Nancy Lieberman Award (nation’s
top point guard), the 5-9 guard was picked as the Women’s Basketball News
Service National Player of the Year. Pondexter was named to the
Kodak/Women’s Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) All-America First Team,
the Associated Press All-America First Team, the ESPN.com All-America First
Team, the U.S. Basketball Writers Association (USBWA) All-America Team, the
WBNS All-America First Team, the Women’s Wooden Award All-America Team, the
Senior CLASS Award All-America First Team, the Full Court Press All-America
First Team and the Gballmag.com All-America First Team, and was the
unanimous selection as the BIG EAST Player of the Year, becoming the first
player in league history to be named to the All-BIG EAST First Team four
times during her career. Picked as the WBCA National Player of the Month
for January, she started all 32 games for the Scarlet Knights during the
2005-2006 season, averaging 21.6 points, 4.2 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 1.7
steals per game. Named to the NCAA Tournament All-Cleveland Region Team,
Pondexter scored her 2,000th career point at West Virginia Feb. 10 and
competed with the USA Basketball Senior National Team at the Opals World
Challenge in Australia April 8-12. Pondexter played in 121 career games,
making 103 starts, and averaged 18.3 points, 4.4 rebounds, 3.9 assists and
1.8 steals per game. She finished her time “On the Banks” first in
three-point field-goal percentage (164-385, .426), second in scoring
(2,211), free throws made (427), field goals made (810) and field goals
attempted (1,768), third in scoring average (18.3 ppg), three-point field
goals made (164) and free throws attempted (539), fourth in three-point
field goals attempted (385), fifth in assists (470), tied for sixth in
free-throw percentage (427-539, .792) and tied for seventh in steals (213)
on the RU career charts.