NEW YORK, May 22, 2017– Layshia Clarendon of the Atlanta Dream and Sylvia Fowles
of the Minnesota Lynx today were named the WNBA’s Eastern and Western Conference
Players of the Week, respectively, for games played May 13-21 – the opening week
of the 2017 regular season.
Clarendon earned Player of the Week honors for the first time in her five-year
career. The former University of California standout led the Dream to a 2-1
record. For the week, Clarendon ranked second among Eastern Conference players
in assists (6.0 apg), fifth in scoring (16.3 ppg), tied for fifth in field goal
percentage (.500, 17-of-34) and seventh in free throw percentage (.929,
13-of-14).
The 5-9 guard opened her week on May 13 by scoring 14 points in an 81-74 victory
at the Connecticut Sun. Clarendon notched 18 points and seven assists and tied
her career high with six rebounds in a 91-83 win at the Chicago Sky on May 19.
She closed her week by tying a career high with nine assists while contributing
17 points and five rebounds in a 75-71 loss to the visiting Sky.
Fowles earned Player of the Week honors for the eighth time in her 10-year
career. Among Western Conference players, she ranked second in rebounding (10.0
rpg) and blocks (2.0 bpg), third in steals (2.0 spg), fourth in scoring (21.7
ppg) and sixth in sixth in field goal percentage (.575, 23-of-40). The former
LSU standout recorded two double-doubles to lead Minnesota to a 3-0 start as the
Lynx extended its May winning streak to 20 games (5-0 in 2012, 6-0 in 2014, 6-0
in 2016 and 3-0 in 2017).
On May 14, Fowles opened the season with a game-high 26 points and team-high 10
rebounds to go with four steals and three blocks as Minnesota defeated visiting
Chicago 70-61. In her final game of the week, the 6-6 center finished with game
highs of 27 points and 13 rebounds in Minnesota’s 89-87 win over the host Dallas
Wings.
Other candidates for the Eastern and Western Conference Players of the Week were
Atlanta’s Tiffany Hayes, the Connecticut Sun’s Jonquel Jones, the Los Angeles
Sparks’ Nneka Ogwumike, the Phoenix Mercury’s Brittney Griner, the Seattle
Storm’s Jewell Loyd and the Washington Mystics’ Elena Delle Donne.
For more information on this week’s Players of the Week, visit
www.wnba.com/awards.
2017 WNBA PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
— 5/22/17: Layshia Clarendon and Sylvia Fowles (Minnesota)
