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Wednesday WNBA links: Mercury clinch third seed, Katie Douglas close to return, Dawn Staley looking forward

10 links from around the women's basketball, from honoring all-time greats to anticipating the play of future WNBA players.

By Nate P

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The Minnesota lynx hit another milestone with their win in Seattle, aided by 14 points from Sixth Woman candidate Monica Wright.
The Minnesota lynx hit another milestone with their win in Seattle, aided by 14 points from Sixth Woman candidate Monica Wright.
USA TODAY Sports

The WNBA lottery playoff participants are now set: into the playoffs for the first since 2010 are the Washington Mystics while the New York Liberty find themselves returning to the WNBA lottery for the first time since 2007.

That means today's links will have a combination of game recaps, a look at great feats past and present, and even a little 2014 WNBA draft programming note. For more on the Liberty's loss - which was ultimately meaningless - and Washington's playoff berth check out our WNBA Scores section.

  • Aaron Lommers of the Everett Herald reports that turnovers were a major contributor to the Seattle Storm's loss to the Minnesota Lynx last night. With the Storm's loss and the Phoenix Mercury's win in Newark, the Mercury clinched the third seed meaning that the Storm will face the Lynx again in the first round of the playoffs. Now they have to figure out how to better compete with the Lynx. Read more >>>

  • Kyle Ratke of MinnesotaLynx.com makes the case for Monica Wright as Sixth Woman of the Year, highlighting her ability to adjust to playing point guard for the first time and noting her versatility with quotes from Cheryl Reeve and Lindsay Whalen. Read more >>>
  • Mark Ambrogi of the Indianapolis Star reports that Indiana Fever coach Lin Dunn wasn't happy that her team "kind of went through the motions at times" in their 69-67 loss to the Washington Mystics last night. Although star Tamika Catchings tried to take responsibility, but Dunn pointed to missed layups and called out three specific players for layup drills. With the win, the Mystics clinched their playoff berth and now find themselves jockeying for position with the Fever for the third seed in the Eastern Conference. Read more >>>
  • Mark Ambrogi of the Indianapolis Star wrote prior to last night's game that Tamika Catchings has been focused on just getting into and playoffs and then, "once there, the hope is the team would be playing near their best." Another piece of the article might help their cause: "Fever President Kelly Krauskopf said Douglas has received medical clearance from the back specialist but not from the team physician yet." Read more >>>

  • Michelle Kaufman of the Miami Herald caught up with University of Miami alum Riquna Williams - who she described as "A painfully shy, impoverished girl from the McClure Projects in Pahokee - on Tuesday by phone to discuss her 51-point game further. Williams reflected on the controversy at the end of her college career and her vow to get out of the projects as a kid, which led to her getting a fitting tattoo: "Laugh Now, Cry Later." Read more >>>
  • Terrence Thomas of the San Antonio Express-News mentioned something that I was wondering about after Williams' 51-point performance: it was not only a WNBA record, but also an AT&T Center record for NBA or WNBA games. That's especially impressive: Williams scored those 51 points in just 35 minutes. NBA games run 48 minutes. Read more >>>
  • Cal announced their 2013-14 schedule yesterday and will have 20 games televised, including three on ESPN's networks against Duke, Stanford, and UConn. For women's basketball fans interested in WNBA draft prospects, Cal forward Gennifer Brandon is worth watching: Brandon had the 10th best rebounding rate in the nation last season, which makes her a solid 2014 WNBA draft prospect. Read more >>>
  • Go Gamecocks has posted the YouTube video of Dawn Staley speaking to South Carolina media after returning from her Naismith Hall of Fame induction. Staley said in the video that she went right back to her job this week: recruiting trips and signing a big recruiting class are on the horizon for her. She's hoping that the attention she got from the Hall of Fame nod will help her build South Carolina's brand. Watch the video >>>
  • The Journal Gazette & Times-Courier reports that an early-season game between Eastern Illinois and Loyola-Chicago might have some intrigue for WNBA fans: former WNBA All-Star Sheryl Swoopes will be facing former WNBA All-Star Debbie Black, both of whom will be first-year head coaches. Read more >>>

Obviously there are other links floating around the web that have probably caught your eye so feel free to drop them in the comments below, make a fan shot, or

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