WNBA 2011

	Women's National Basketball Association
	◄ previous	2011 season	next ►
Duration		June 3rd - October 7th
Season games per team		34
Number of teams		12
Spectators (total)		1,622,685 (∅: 7,954 per game)
Regular season
Best record		Minnesota Lynx
Season MVP		Tamika catchings
Top scorer		Diana Taurasi
Playoffs
Eastern - Champion		Atlanta Dream
Runner-up team		Indiana Fever
Western - Champion		Minnesota Lynx
Runner-up team		Phoenix Mercury
Finals
WNBA champion		Minnesota Lynx
Runner-up		Atlanta Dream
Finals MVP		Seimone Augustus

The 2011 season of the Women's National Basketball Association was the 15th played season of the North American professional women's basketball league . The regular season began on June 3, 2011 with the opening game between the Minnesota Lynx and the Los Angeles Sparks . After the end of the regular season, which was played until September 11, 2011, the playoffs for the WNBA championship began, which the Minnesota Lynx decided on October 7 in the third final game against the Atlanta Dream for themselves. In addition, the tenth WNBA All-Star Game took place on July 23, 2011 in the AT&T Center , the home ground of the San Antonio Silver Stars , in San Antonio .

Draft

• Main article: WNBA Draft 2011

On November 2, 2010, a lottery was held to determine the order in which the first five picks were selected. In the lottery, the Minnesota Lynx secured themselves from the Tulsa Shock . After the monarchs stopped playing, all teams moved up one place.

The WNBA Draft 2011 finally took place on April 11, 2011, in which the Lynx selected the American Maya Moore as the first pick . Then the Shock secured the rights to the Australian Elizabeth Cambage . In total, the 12 franchises secured the rights to 36 players. The United States made up the majority with 32 players .

Top 5 picks

Abbreviations: Pos = Position, G = Guard, F = Forward, C = Center, WNBL = Women's National Basketball League

#	Player	nationality	Item	WNBA team	College / professional team
1.	Maya Moore	United States	F.	Minnesota Lynx	University of Connecticut
2.	Elizabeth Cambage	Australia	C.	Tulsa Shock	Bulleen Boomers (WNBL)
3.	Courtney Vandersloot	United States	G	Chicago Sky	Gonzaga University
4th	Amber Harris	United States	F.	Minnesota Lynx (from Connecticut Sun )	Xavier University
5.	Jantel Lavender	United States	C.	Los Angeles Sparks	Ohio State University

Regular season

mode

The 12 WNBA teams are divided into two conferences, with the Eastern Conference and the Western Conference each comprising six teams. In total, each team plays 34 season games during the regular season, of which each team plays half of the games at home or away. Within their own conference, the teams play against two teams a total of five times and against the remaining three teams four times. In addition, each team plays two more games against each team from the other conference.

All-Star Game 2011

• Main article: All-Star Game 2011

The 10th WNBA All-Star Game was played on July 23, 2011 at the AT&T Center in San Antonio , Texas . The league leadership awarded the game to the Connecticut Sun on February 3 , which had already hosted in 2005 . As in previous years, a selection of the best players from the Eastern Conference competed against a team from the Western Conference .

July 23, 2011	Summary	Eastern Conference	118-113	Western Conference	AT&T Center , San Antonio, Texas Visitors: 12,540 Referees: # 4 Blue # 17 Twardoski # 45 wall
		Points per quarter: 33:36, 32:30, 27:26, 26:21
		Points: Pondexter (17) Rebounds: McCoughtry (10) Assists: Pondexter (7)		Points: Cash (21) Rebounds: Cash (12) Assists: Taurasi (7)

Closing tables

Explanations:     = Playoff qualification,     = Conference winner

Eastern Conference
Pl	team	Sp	S.	N	%	GB	home	Away
1	Indiana Fever	34	21st	13	61.8	-	13: 4	8: 9
2	Connecticut Sun	34	21st	13	61.8	0	15: 2	6:11
3	Atlanta Dream	34	20th	14th	58.8	1	11: 6	9: 8
4th	New York Liberty	34	19th	15th	55.9	2	12: 5	7:10
5	Chicago Sky	34	14th	20th	41.2	7th	10: 7	4:13
6th	Washington Mystics	34	6th	28	17.6	15th	4:13	2:15

Western Conference
Pl	team	Sp	S.	N	%	GB	home	Away
1	Minnesota Lynx	34	27	7th	79.4	-	14: 3	13: 4
2	Seattle Storm	34	21st	13	61.8	6th	15: 2	6:11
3	Phoenix Mercury	34	19th	15th	55.9	8th	11: 6	8: 9
4th	San Antonio Silver Stars	34	18th	16	52.9	9	9: 8	9: 8
5	Los Angeles Sparks	34	15th	19th	44.1	12	10: 7	5:12
6th	Tulsa Shock	34	3	31	8.8	24	2:15	1:16

Playoffs

mode

After the four teams from each conference have qualified, the playoffs, which are held in the knockout system, start. Each conference then plays its winner in the conference semifinals (German conference semi-finals) and in the conference final (German conference finals), who then takes part in the finals. The team that is highest on the seeding list always meets the lowest seeded team. The series within the conference are played in the best-of-three mode, which means that a team needs two wins to reach the next round. The final will be played in the best-of-five mode. The team with the better record always has the home advantage in all duels. For games that are tied after the regular playing time of 40 minutes, overtime follows. The quarters continue to last ten minutes and play continues until one team has scored more points than the opposing team at the end of an overtime.

Playoff tree

	Conference semifinals					Conference Finals					WNBA finals
	1	Indiana Fever	2
	4th	New York Liberty	1
						1	Indiana Fever	1
	Eastern Conference
						3	Atlanta Dream	2
	2	Connecticut Sun	0
	3	Atlanta Dream	2
											E3	Atlanta Dream	0
											W1	Minnesota Lynx	3
	1	Minnesota Lynx	2
	4th	San Antonio Silver Stars	1
						1	Minnesota Lynx	2
	Western Conference
						3	Phoenix Mercury	0
	2	Seattle Storm	1
	3	Phoenix Mercury	2

Conference semifinals (round 1)

Eastern Conference

(1) Indiana Fever - (4) New York Liberty

Sep 15 2011 8:00 PM ET	Match report	Indiana Fever	74-72	New York Liberty	Conseco Fieldhouse , Indianapolis, Indiana Visitors: 7,608
		Points per quarter: 28:16, 16:18, 18:24, 12:14
		Points: Douglas (25) Rebounds: Sutton-Brown (7) Assists: Bobbitt , Phillips (3)		Points: Pondexter (18) Rebounds: Powell (8) Assists: Pondexter (6)
		Stand: 1: 0

17 Sep 2011 4:00 PM ET	Match report	New York Liberty	87-72	Indiana Fever	Prudential Center , Newark, New Jersey Visitors: 8,508
		Points per quarter: 20:23, 30:18, 12: 9, 25:22
		Points: Powell (19) Rebounds: Pondexter, Powell, Vaughn (5) Assists: Pondexter (5)		Points: Douglas (20) Rebounds: Catchings (9) Assists: Bobbitt, Phillips (4)
		Stand: 1: 1

19 Sep 2011 8:00 PM ET	Match report	Indiana Fever	72-62	New York Liberty	Conseco Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, Indiana Visitors: 7,368
		Points per quarter: 17:17, 23:19, 14:12, 18:14
		Points: Douglas (21) Rebounds: Catchings (8) Assists: Catchings (4)		Points: Powell (19) Rebounds: Vaughn (7) Assists: Pondexter (5)
		Final score: 2: 1

(2) Connecticut Sun - (3) Atlanta Dream

16 Sep 2011 7:00 PM ET	Match report	Connecticut Sun	84-89	Atlanta Dream	Mohegan Sun Arena , Uncasville, Connecticut Visitors: 7,373
		Points per quarter: 20:18, 21:21, 25:22, 18:28
		Points: Jones , Montgomery (16) Rebounds: McCray (8) Assists: Charles , Montgomery, White (3)		Points: Harding (21) Rebounds: Lyttle (11) Assists: Price (5)
		Stand: 0: 1

Sep 18 2011 3:00 PM ET	Match report	Atlanta Dream	69-64	Connecticut Sun	Philips Arena , Atlanta, Georgia Visitors: 6,887
		Points per quarter: 16:11, 15:25, 13:15, 25:13
		Points: Harding, Lyttle, McCoughtry , Souza (12) Rebounds: Souza (10) Assists: Harding (6)		Points: Jones (15) Rebounds: Charles (17) Assists: Montgomery (6)
		Final score : 2-0

Western Conference

(1) Minnesota Lynx - (4) San Antonio Silver Stars

16 Sep 2011 9:00 PM ET	Match report	Minnesota Lynx	66-65	San Antonio Silver Stars	Target Center , Minneapolis, Minnesota Visitors: 11,891
		Points per quarter: 11:16, 21:19, 21:16, 13:14
		Points: Whalen (20) Rebounds: Brunson (14) Assists: Whalen (5)		Points: Hammon , Adams (16) Rebounds: Young (9) Assists: Young (6)
		Stand: 1: 0

Sep 18 2011 5:00 PM ET	Match report	San Antonio Silver Stars	84-75	Minnesota Lynx	AT&T Center , San Antonio, Texas Visitors: 7,023
		Points per quarter: 18:14, 22:23, 24:13, 20:25
		Points: Perkins (24) Rebounds: Adams, Perkins (6) Assists: Hammon (6)		Points: Augustus (24) Rebounds: Brunson (16) Assists: Whalen (3)
		Stand: 1: 1

Sep 20 2011 8:00 PM ET	Match report	Minnesota Lynx	85-67	San Antonio Silver Stars	Target Center, Minneapolis, Minnesota Visitors: 8,734
		Points per quarter: 18:19, 26:17, 22:20, 19:11
		Points: Augustus (22) Rebounds: Brunson (9) Assists: Augustus, McWilliams-Franklin , Moore (4)		Points: Young (17) Rebounds: Riley (6) Assists: Hammon (5)
		Final score: 2: 1

(2) Seattle Storm - (3) Phoenix Mercury

Sep 15 2011 10:00 PM ET	Match report	Seattle Storm	80-61	Phoenix Mercury	Key Arena , Seattle, Washington Visitors: 7,279
		Points per quarter: 19:19, 21:12, 29:11, 11:19
		Points: Wright (21) Rebounds: Cash , Little (11) Assists: Little (4)		Points: Taylor (13) Rebounds: Bonner (8) Assists: Johnson , Swanier , Taylor (3)
		Stand: 1: 0

17 Sep 2011 10:00 PM ET	Match report	Phoenix Mercury	92-83	Seattle Storm	US Airways Center , Phoenix, Arizona Visitors: 9,356
		Points per quarter: 23:18, 28:22, 20:22, 21:21
		Points: Dupree (29) Rebounds: Bonner (13) Assists: Johnson (9)		Points: Wright (18) Rebounds: Cash (5) Assists: Bird (4)
		Stand: 1: 1

19 Sep 2011 10:00 PM ET	Match report	Seattle Storm	75-77	Phoenix Mercury	Key Arena, Seattle, Washington Visitors: 8,589
		Points per quarter: 20: 9, 19:21, 18:24, 18:23
		Points: Bird (22) Rebounds: Cash (10) Assists: Smith , Wright (4)		Points: Dupree (20) Rebounds: Taylor (17) Assists: Johnson, Taurasi (3)
		Final score: 1: 2

Conference Finals (Round 2)

Eastern Conference

(1) Indiana Fever - (3) Atlanta Dream

22 Sep 2011 7:00 PM ET	Match report	Indiana Fever	82-74	Atlanta Dream	Conseco Fieldhouse , Indianapolis, Indiana Visitors: 8,253
		Points per quarter: 21:24, 21:16, 15:17, 25:17
		Points: Smith (25) Rebounds: Catchings (13) Assists: Catchings, Douglas , Zellous (3)		Points: Harding (17) Rebounds: Souza (13) Assists: Harding (7)
		Stand: 1: 0

25 Sep 2011 3:00 PM ET	Match report	Atlanta Dream	94-77	Indiana Fever	Philips Arena , Atlanta, Georgia Visitors: 8,052
		Points per quarter: 34:25, 21:26, 18:14, 21:12
		Points: Castro Marques (30) Rebounds: Lyttle , Price (5) Assists: Harding (7)		Points: Douglas (25) Rebounds: Catchings (9) Assists: Douglas (6)
		Stand: 1: 1

27 Sep 2011 8:00 PM ET	Match report	Indiana Fever	67-83	Atlanta Dream	Conseco Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, Indiana Visitors: 9,036
		Points per quarter: 23:28, 12:11, 12:22, 20:22
		Points: Douglas (16) Rebounds: Douglas, Sutton-Brown (9) Assists: Catchings, Phillips (3)		Points: McCoughtry (26) Rebounds: Lyttle (11) Assists: Harding (6)
		Final score: 1: 2

Western Conference

(1) Minnesota Lynx - (3) Phoenix Mercury

22 Sep 2011 9:00 PM ET	Match report	Minnesota Lynx	95-67	Phoenix Mercury	Target Center , Minneapolis, Minnesota Visitors: 8,912
		Points per quarter: 28:11, 25:19, 27:19, 21:12
		Points: Augustus (21) Rebounds: Brunson (13) Assists: Augustus (7)		Points: Taurasi (22) Rebounds: Bonner (8) Assists: Johnson (4)
		Stand: 1: 0

25 Sep 2011 5:00 PM ET	Match report	Phoenix Mercury	86-103	Minnesota Lynx	US Airways Center , Phoenix, Arizona Visitors: 8,617
		Points per quarter: 20:24, 19:25, 20:27, 21:33
		Points: Bonner, Taurasi (22) Rebounds: Dupree (11) Assists: Johnson (6)		Points: McWilliams-Franklin , Moore (21) Rebounds: Brunson (9) Assists: McWilliams-Franklin (7)
		Final score: 0: 2

Finals (round 3)

(W1) Minnesota Lynx - (E3) Atlanta Dream

0Oct 2, 2011 8:30 PM ET	Match report	Minnesota Lynx	88-74	Atlanta Dream	Target Center , Minneapolis, Minnesota Visitors: 15,258
		Points per quarter: 14:18, 22:21, 26:23, 26:12
		Points: Brunson (26) Rebounds: Brunson (11) Assists: Augustus (7)		Points: McCoughtry (33) Rebounds: Bales (9) Assists: Harding (5)
		Stand: 1: 0

0Oct 5, 2011 8:00 PM ET	Match report	Minnesota Lynx	101-95	Atlanta Dream	Target Center, Minneapolis, Minnesota Visitors: 15,124
		Points per quarter: 22:28, 28:30, 19:16, 32:21
		Points: Augustus (36) Rebounds: Augustus (8) Assists: Whalen (4)		Points: McCoughtry (38) Rebounds: Souza (10) Assists: Harding (7)
		Stand: 2: 0

0Oct 7, 2011 8:00 PM ET	Match report	Atlanta Dream	67-73	Minnesota Lynx	Philips Arena , Atlanta, Georgia Visitors: 11,543
		Points per quarter: 20:10, 17:16, 8:19, 22:21
		Points: McCoughtry (22) Rebounds: Souza (15) Assists: Harding (7)		Points: Augustus (16) Rebounds: Brunson (9) Assists: Augustus, McWilliams-Franklin (4)
		Final score: 0: 3 finals MVP: Seimone Augustus

WNBA championship team

(Participation in at least one playoff game)

WNBA champions Minnesota Lynx

Guards: Alexis Hornbuckle , Lindsay Whalen , Candice Wiggins Guard forwards: Seimone Augustus (Finals MVP) , Monica Wright Forwards: Rebekkah Brunson , Amber Harris , Charde Houston , Maya Moore Forward Centers: Taj McWilliams-Franklin Center: Jessica Adair Head Coach: Cheryl Reeve   General Manager: Roger Griffith

WNBA awards and trophies awarded

Award	Player	team	comment
WNBA Finals MVP Award	Seimone Augustus	Minnesota Lynx	-
WNBA Most Valuable Player Award	Tamika catchings	Indiana Fever	292 of 1,071 votes
WNBA Defensive Player of the Year Award	Sylvia Fowles	Chicago Sky	19 out of 40 votes
WNBA Most Improved Player Award	Kia Vaughn	New York Liberty	15 out of 40 votes
WNBA Peak Performer (points)	Diana Taurasi	Phoenix Mercury	21.6 points per game
WNBA Peak Performer (Rebounds)	Tina Charles	Connecticut Sun	11.0 rebounds per game
WNBA Peak Performer (Assists)	Lindsay Whalen	Minnesota Lynx	5.9 assists per game
WNBA Rookie of the Year Award	Maya Moore	Minnesota Lynx	38 out of 40 votes
WNBA Sixth Woman of the Year Award	DeWanna Bonner	Phoenix Mercury	20 out of 40 votes
Kim Perrot Sportsmanship Award	Sue Bird Ruth Riley	Seattle Storm San Antonio Silver Stars	8 out of 39 votes
WNBA Coach of the Year Award	Cheryl Reeve	Minnesota Lynx	36 out of 40 votes

All-WNBA teams

All-WNBA First Team
Guards:	Diana Taurasi - (MIN) Lindsay Whalen
Forwards:	Tamika Catchings - Angel McCoughtry
Center:	Tina Charles

All-WNBA Second Team
Guards:	Sue Bird - (NYL) Cappie Pondexter
Forwards:	Penny Taylor - (MIN) Seimone Augustus
Center:	Sylvia Fowles

All-rookie team

All-rookie team

(MIN) Maya Moore - Danielle Robinson - Courtney Vandersloot Danielle Adams - Liz Cambage

All-Defensive Team

All-Defensive First Team
Guards:	Angel McCoughtry - Tanisha Wright
Forwards:	Tamika Catchings - (MIN) Rebekkah Brunson
Center:	Sylvia Fowles

All-Defensive Second Team
Guards:	Katie Douglas - Armintie Price
Forwards:	Swin Cash - Sancho Lyttle
Center:	Tina Charles

Web links

• Final Standings 2011 WNBA.com (Engl.)
• WNBA Award Winners 2011 WNBA.com (Engl.)
• WNBA Playoffs 2011 WNBA.com (Engl.)
• Statistics for the WNBA 2011 season on basketball-reference.com (Engl.)
• Key dates in the WNBA history (Engl.)