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The Mystics Are All in on WNBA Rookies Kiki Iriafen & Sonia Citron
Things got a little heated in the fourth quarter of last week's Washington Mystics win over Chicago. The DC-based WNBA team held a slim 62-60 lead over the Sky, when a contested rebound turned into a jump ball that Chicago head coach Tyler Marsh strongly disagreed with — costing him a technical foul from the sideline. Washington veteran Brittney Sykes could have taken the subsequent free throw, adding to a 32-point performance on a night when it felt like the 31-year-old couldn't miss. Fourth-year center Shakira Austin was also on the floor, as was third-year guard Sug Sutton. Instead, the player stepping up to the stripe turned out to be rookie guard Sonia Citron. She calmly sank the shot for her 11th point of the game, giving Washington a little more daylight as they held on for their fifth win of the season. Story by Claire Watkins
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Ingrid Engen joins Lyon after winning 13 trophies with Barcelona
LYON, France (AP) — Norway defender Ingrid Engen has joined the Lyon women’s team from Barcelona on a two-year deal, the French club said Friday. The 27-year-old Engen played 152 matches across competitions with Barcelona, winning 13 trophies during a four-season spell with the Catalan club. Those titles included the Women’s Champions League twice — 2023 and ’24 — as well as four Spanish leagues. Lyon said Engen’s technical skills make her a versatile player capable of playing in the heart of the defense and in midfield. Engen has been selected to play at the European Championship in Switzerland next month alongside her new Lyon teammate and fellow Norwegian, Ada Hegerberg. Story by AP News
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Sei Young Kim Leads Packed Leaderboard After Day One at Buick LPGA Shanghai
12-time winner Sei Young Kim wasted no time making her presence known at Qizhong Garden Golf Club setting a pair of records, the 9-hole and 18-hole tournament scoring records. Kim shot a 28 on the back nine, beating the previous record of 30 set by defending champion Angel Yin in 2018 and last done by Madelene Sagstrom in 2023. Taking that momentum, Kim went on to set the new 18-hole scoring record, last done by Sagstrom in the fourth round of 2023 as well. “After turn the nine hole I'm kind of, oh, I shoot 8-under. I never play like that, so I was a little bit of nervous,” Kim said about what she was thinking when she realized how well she was playing. “I don't know. Then I try to calm down but after that my body reaction a little bit like tight, and then after couple holes I keep par and after bogey one hole, and I realize, okay, I just keep going what I did is front nine, and I able to knock three birdies and strong finish.” Story by LPGA Communications
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Leona Maguire’s Hard Work Pays Off in Buick LPGA Shanghai Debut
Leona Maguire has spent months working on her game and trying to be patient with the results. On Thursday at the Buick LPGA Shanghai, she continued to see the dividends of that extra effort as she recorded an opening round of 66 to sit just four strokes off the pace of first-round leader Sei Young Kim. “I've been doing a lot of work on my putting lately, so nice to see a few go in today,” Maguire said about her 6-under effort at Qizhong Garden Golf Club, where she had just 27 putts. “Gave myself a lot of chances, hit a lot of greens and putted really nice. The greens are a little bit unpredictable, but I felt like I put some really good strokes on it.” Story by Amy Rogers
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Lynx, Sun Gear Up for Win-or-Go-Home Battle in Tuesday’s WNBA Semifinals Game 5
After splitting their first four games, tonight's Game 5 semifinal will determine who will go on to face New York in the 2024 WNBA Finals: the Minnesota Lynx or the Connecticut Sun. The two teams' best-of-five series has been the tightest of the 2024 postseason thus far. Both claimed one road win and one at home, and even the series score sheet is wildly close, with the Lynx putting up 321 points across the four games and the Sun posting 315. Story by Dee Lab
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The Late Sub Podcast: Marta's Orlando Dream Comes True
In this week's episode of The Late Sub, host Claire Watkins gives a postmortem on this era of the Las Vegas Aces, before claiming the Liberty as WNBA championship frontrunners and prepping for Tuesday's Game 5 semifinal between the Lynx and the Sun. Then, she chats about Orlando’s incredible run to the 2024 NWSL Shield, the individual NWSL records primed to fall, and aimlessness further down the league table. Story by JWS Staff
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Lauren Stephenson Earns 2024 Epson Tour Player of the Year Honors
At the conclusion of the Guardian Championship in Prattville, Ala., Lauren Stephenson learned she would be returning to the LPGA Tour for the 2025 season. With her Tour card secured for the next year, Stephenson’s focus shifted to earning Epson Tour Player of the Year honors, which is awarded to the Epson Tour athlete who finishes first on the Official Points List at the end of the season. After a T8 finish at the Epson Tour Championship at Indian Wells, the South Carolina native achieved that goal, walking away from the season finale with her head held high. Story by Luke Otto
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Suwannapura Victorious at Walmart NW Arkansas Championship
In dramatic fashion at Pinnacle Country Club, Jasmine Suwannapura earned her third career LPGA Tour victory at the 2024 Walmart NW Arkansas Championship presented by P&G after making an eagle on the second extra hole to win in a playoff over Lucy Li. The duo shot rounds of 61 and 60, respectively, on Sunday at Pinnacle Country Club to land in a tie for first place at 17-under. Teeing off in the ninth-to-last group and beginning her day in a tie for 25th, Li started her record-breaking round with a birdie on No.1. She carded two bogeys in the next three holes after a pair of three-putts to drop two shots. But in her next seven holes, the 2023 rookie went on a tear, carding five birdies and an eagle on the par-4 8th hole to jump to 12-under par and take the lead. With seven holes remaining, Li made eagles on the last two par 5s (holes 14 and 18) and a birdie on No. 15 to break the 18-hole tournament scoring record and best her career-low 18-hole score by four shots. Story by LPGA
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