A Huskies update (2nd edition)

Here’s the weekly update on UConn alums around the league, with their season averages in key categories:

Connecticut Sun:
(1) Nykesha Sales (UConn, 1998): 14.1 points, 4.24 rebounds, 3.5 assists per game
Low-down: Already fighting off two nagging ankle injuries, Sales is expected to miss at least tonight’s game against Detroit and perhaps Thursday’s game against New York with a mild concussion she suffered last Friday. As of last year, the Sun’s all-time leading scorer was one of the league’s most durable players. Even when she does return this season, she’ll most likely play limited minutes some nights, depending on how she feels, but she is still a solid contributor on both ends of the floor.

(2) Asjha Jones (2002): 15.9 points, 6.41 rebounds, 46.8 field-goal percentage
Low-down: After already establishing herself as a player to watch this season with her first All-Star selection, Jones made another statement this weekend when she stood toe-to-toe with Seattle’s Lauren Jackson and Houston’s Tina Thompson – and emerged averaging nearly 20 points and six rebounds in the two games.

Detroit Shock:
(1) Swin Cash (2002): 11.9 points, 6.09 rebounds, 2.5 assists
Low-down: With Detroit playing as well as any team in the league – the Sun included – Cash enters tonight’s game in Connecticut having finished an impressive week. In three games, she averaged 13.3 points and 6.3 rebounds. She was especially good in the Shock’s 87-82 win over New York last Wednesday, scoring 19 points and hitting 9-of-11 free throws.

Indiana Fever:
(1) Ann Strother (2006): 0.5 points, 0.33 rebounds (in six games played)
Low-down: Strother didn’t see any time in the last three games for the Fever, who, without Tamika Catchings (foot), are struggling with losses in their last two games.

New York Liberty:
(1) Ashley Battle (2005): 8.3 points, 4.09 rebounds, 1.00 steal
Low-down: Battle continues to be a spark plug off the Liberty bench. Though New York is struggling with losses in its last four games, Battle scored in double figures twice in her last three games, and led her team with 17 points in 28 minutes in an 87-82 loss last Wednesday.

Phoenix Mercury:
(1) Diana Taurasi (2004): 18 points, 4.29 rebounds, 4.3 assists
Low-down: It was a quiet week for Taurasi – at least in her terms – as she averaged 13.3 points in three games and was limited to nine points on 2-of-10 shooting inn 87-77 loss to the struggling Los Angeles Sparks last Friday. She also didn’t get to the free throw line like she’s used to, making 8-of-10 free throws in the three contests. She leads the Mercury with 123 free-throw attempts.

(2) Kelly Schumacher (2001): 4.7 points, 4.39 rebounds, 46.3 field-goal percentage
Low-down: Schumacher continued to see her regular minutes this past week, playing just over 13 in three games. The center scored eight points in 16 minutes on Sunday, but still hasn’t reached double figures in scoring since scoring 10 on June 22, a span of nine games.

Seattle Storm:
(1) Sue Bird (2002): 9.8 points, 4.8 assists, 1.61 steals
Low-down: Bird returned last Friday from arthroscopic knee surgery to score seven points in a loss to the Sun. She followed that up with a three-point performance in a 77-75 win in New York, but they were crucial -points – Bird hit a 3-pointer with 10 seconds remaining to lift Seattle to the win. She also dished out five assists in the victory.

Los Angeles Sparks:
(1) Jessica Moore (2005): 3.4 points, 2.52 rebounds, 35.5 field-goal percentage
Low-down: Moore played a key role in the Sparks’ upset win over Phoenix last Friday – Los Angeles’ first in eight games – by scoring 10 points in 16 minutes. It was Moore’s ninth start of the season.

Houston Comets:
(1) Barbara Turner (2006): 5.1 points, 1.93 rebounds, 42.4 field-goal percentage
Low-down: As touched upon in Monday’s notebook, Turner played 27 minutes in a loss to the Sun Sunday, scoring a career-high 15 points and grabbing four rebounds. She’d only played 23 minutes in six July games entering the contest, but played big for Houston, as several of her friends and family watched from the stands.

Minnesota Lynx:
(1) Svetlana Abrosimova (2001): 7.9 points, 4.38 rebounds, 2.1 assists
Low-down: Though the last-place Lynx are struggling with nine straight loss – all in July – Abrosimova has played big, scoring in double figures in four of her last five games and registering 20 points twice in that span. She’s hit 12 of her last 17 3-pointers (70.5 percent).

(2) Tamika Raymond (2002): 1.2 points, 1.3 (through 11 games)
Low-down: Raymond has continued to see very little time, despite the Lynx’s recent struggles. She’s played a total of 14 minutes in her last three games, taking just one shot and scoring zero points. As for the rest of her Minnesota team, here’s a good glimpse into the club’s struggles as a whole, courtesy of the Star Tribune.