We're sure that you heard something about Title IX's 40th anniversary this past weekend so we're going to stay focused on basketball to start your week off here.
There were seven games this past weekend, including two on ESPN on Saturday. In case you missed any of the action while out enjoying the weather, here's the brief rundown.
- Aaron Lommers of Everett Herald reports that the feeling in the Seattle Storm locker room after their 72-55 blowout of the Washington Mystics was that they're still working to get better in the midst of a four-game winning streak. Despite holding the Mystics to a season-low 34.9% shooting from the field, the Storm got outrebounded 13-2. Read more >>>
- Jayda Evans of the Seattle Times reports that the big win against the Mystics yesterday also allowed the Storm to experiment with some different combinations, including pairing centers Ewelina Kobryn and Ann Wauters for a stretch. Just as the Storm are starting to hit their rhythm, Svetlana Abrosimova also worked out for the coaching staff prior to the game and Agler said her signing remains a possibility. Read more >>>
- Craig Malveaux of the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports that Minnesota Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve gave Lindsay Whalen the game ball after Saturday's 79-67 win against the Chicago Sky. But despite what Reeve called Whalen's best effort of the season, she also acknowledged that Sky guard Epiphanny Prince's absence due to injury made a difference in the final margin. Read more >>>
- Mike Peden of the WNBA Examiner writes that "the the sound of the basketball clanking off the rim summed up the game for the Sparks" on Sunday in a 91-71 loss to the San Antonio Silver Stars. The Sparks' defensive struggles in the paint continued as they were outscored 44-22 in the paint, which reflects their 11th-place ranking in the league in points in the paint allowed. Read more >>>
- Odeen Domingo of the Arizona Republic reports that the Phoenix Mercury downfall against the Los Angeles Sparks on Saturday began in the second quarter. The Sparks went on a 25-5 run to mount help them eventually mount a 27-point lead "that was threatened but never overtaken." While the Sparks were missing Candice Dupree, Nakia Sanford and Diana Taurasi (in addition to Penny Taylor) the Sparks were without star forward Candace Parker. Yet again this season it was Kristi Toliver who stepped up. Read more >>>
- Luke McConnell of Tulsa's NewsOn6 recapped another tough loss for the Tulsa Shock on Saturday, which included former University of Oklahoma star Courtney Paris' home debut. Paris contributed a double-double in 15 minutes off the bench, but their inability to rebound in the final minute led to a back-breaking 3-pointer by Fever guard Erin Phillips. Read more >>>
- Mike Brown of the Tulsa World reports that Tulsa Shock head coach Gary Kloppenburg is proud of how his players are continue to battle despite failing to notch that first win. But once again, the Shock got themselves in a hole early on against the Fever, which forced them to spend most of the game digging their way out of it. Read more >>>
- Kristie Ackert of the New York Daily News recaps the New York Liberty's 74-64 loss to the Atlanta Dream yesterday, which came less than a week after the opposite result less than a week ago in Atlanta. The recurrent theme in Ackert's piece: inconsistency. Read more >>>
- Kristofer Habbas of SB Nation Arizona saluted Title IX after the Mercury's game on Saturday with video interviews with WNBA president Laurel Richie and U.S. soccer women's national team goalie Hope Solo. Read more >>>
Obviously, there were many more links this weekend and especially Title IX links. Feel free to drop any links that caught your eye in the comments along with your always-brilliant and absolutely 100% correct insights.