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1997 WNBA Season Summary

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League Standings

Playoff teams are marked with an asterisk (*) / Click column headers to sort
Eastern Conference W L W-L% GB PS/G PA/G W Pyth L Pyth
Houston Comets* 18 10 .643 — 71.8 65.5 22 6
New York Liberty* 17 11 .607 1.0 68.3 65.9 17 11
Charlotte Sting* 15 13 .536 3.0 67.3 66.0 16 12
Cleveland Rockers 15 13 .536 3.0 70.2 68.4 16 12
Western Conference W L W-L% GB PS/G PA/G W Pyth L Pyth
Phoenix Mercury* 16 12 .571 — 69.2 65.2 20 8
Los Angeles Sparks 14 14 .500 2.0 74.0 71.8 17 11
Sacramento Monarchs 10 18 .357 6.0 67.9 75.4 5 23
Utah Starzz 7 21 .250 9.0 64.6 75.1 3 25

League Playoffs

Finals (1-0):Houston Comets over New York Liberty
Semifinals (1-0):Houston Comets over Charlotte Sting
Semifinals (1-0):New York Liberty over Phoenix Mercury

Team Statistics

Glossary / Playoff teams are marked with an asterisk (*) / CSV / PRE / Click column headers to sort
Rk Team G MP FG FGA FG% 3P 3PA 3P% FT FTA FT% ORB DRB TRB AST STL BLK TOV PF PTS PTS Pace Rtg
1 Houston Comets* 28 5650 700 1660 .422 169 485 .348 441 592 .745 316 543 859 389 311 67 492 535 2010 71.8 85.9 99.4
2 Cleveland Rockers 28 5675 725 1633 .444 65 177 .367 450 623 .722 267 624 891 456 256 86 526 514 1965 70.2 88.0 94.4
3 Los Angeles Sparks 28 5725 794 1782 .446 65 242 .269 419 620 .676 290 683 973 495 259 138 528 601 2072 74.0 92.5 93.9
4 Charlotte Sting* 28 5600 719 1651 .435 110 321 .343 337 487 .692 279 635 914 485 219 116 496 465 1885 67.3 87.0 92.9
5 Phoenix Mercury* 28 5675 660 1768 .373 134 436 .307 484 634 .763 322 599 921 437 343 80 475 570 1938 69.2 89.6 91.4
6 New York Liberty* 28 5675 707 1715 .412 93 339 .274 404 607 .666 320 600 920 484 289 116 536 556 1911 68.3 89.2 90.6
7 Sacramento Monarchs 28 5650 704 1732 .406 101 345 .293 393 536 .733 341 538 879 404 263 60 562 593 1902 67.9 89.4 90.4
8 Utah Starzz 28 5650 666 1781 .374 106 349 .304 371 528 .703 339 612 951 425 252 123 520 567 1809 64.6 90.0 85.4
League Average 28 5663 709 1715 .414 105 337 .313 412 578 .713 309 604 914 447 274 98 517 550 1937 69.2 89.0 92.3

Opponent Statistics

Glossary / Playoff teams are marked with an asterisk (*) / CSV / PRE / Click column headers to sort
Rk Team G MP FG FGA FG% 3P 3PA 3P% FT FTA FT% ORB DRB TRB AST STL BLK TOV PF PTS PTS Pace Rtg
1 Phoenix Mercury* 28 5675 670 1622 .413 89 313 .284 397 589 .674 275 649 924 408 243 114 599 598 1826 65.2 89.6 86.1
2 New York Liberty* 28 5675 661 1690 .391 106 320 .331 416 564 .738 327 604 931 397 278 87 570 563 1844 65.9 89.2 87.4
3 Houston Comets* 28 5650 679 1630 .417 91 305 .298 384 545 .705 296 557 853 405 237 102 537 558 1833 65.5 85.9 90.7
4 Charlotte Sting* 28 5600 686 1707 .402 118 366 .322 359 513 .700 288 597 885 432 276 72 464 488 1849 66.0 87.0 91.1
5 Los Angeles Sparks 28 5725 719 1812 .397 95 343 .277 477 649 .735 323 597 920 457 287 82 505 575 2010 71.8 92.5 91.1
6 Cleveland Rockers 28 5675 709 1715 .413 122 356 .343 375 533 .704 306 563 869 464 303 96 494 599 1915 68.4 88.0 92.0
7 Utah Starzz 28 5650 776 1808 .429 115 376 .306 436 606 .719 328 680 1008 498 278 119 458 501 2103 75.1 90.0 99.2
8 Sacramento Monarchs 28 5650 775 1738 .446 107 315 .340 455 628 .725 331 587 918 514 290 114 508 519 2112 75.4 89.4 100.4
League Average 28 5663 709 1715 .414 105 337 .313 412 578 .713 309 604 914 447 274 98 517 550 1937 69.2 89.0 92.3

League Awards

Most Valuable Player:Cynthia Cooper
Defensive Player of the Year:Teresa Weatherspoon

League Leaders

Glossary / Rate statistic requirements

Minutes Played

1.Chantel Tremitiere-SAC1051
2.Andrea Stinson-CHA1011
3.Cynthia Cooper-HOU982
4.Bridgette Gordon-SAC981
5.Michele Timms-PHO966
6.Eva Nemcova-CLE944
7.Rebecca Lobo-NYL939
8.Wendy Palmer-UTA936
9.Teresa Weatherspoon-NYL924
10.Elena Baranova-UTA913

Field Goals

1.Cynthia Cooper-HOU191
2.Andrea Stinson-CHA177
3.Ruthie Bolton-SAC164
4.Jennifer Gillom-PHO163
5.Lisa Leslie-LAS160
6.Wendy Palmer-UTA157
7.Vicky Bullett-CHA145
8.Penny Toler-LAS144
9.Sophia Witherspoon-NYL140
10.Eva Nemcova-CLE138

Field Goal Attempts

1.Wendy Palmer-UTA420
2.Ruthie Bolton-SAC408
3.Cynthia Cooper-HOU406
4.Andrea Stinson-CHA396
5.Jennifer Gillom-PHO376
6.Lisa Leslie-LAS371
7.Rebecca Lobo-NYL354
8.Sophia Witherspoon-NYL345
9.Penny Toler-LAS338
10.Elena Baranova-UTA331

Field Goal Pct

1.Haixia Zheng-LAS.618
2.Isabelle Fijalkowski-CLE.508
3.Rhonda Mapp-CHA.492
4.Eva Nemcova-CLE.473
5.Kym Hampton-NYL.471
6.Cynthia Cooper-HOU.470
7.Toni Foster-PHO.468
8.Pamela McGee-SAC.460
9.Latasha Byears-SAC.459
10.Tamecka Dixon-LAS.456

3-Pt Field Goals

1.Cynthia Cooper-HOU67
2.Ruthie Bolton-SAC66
3.Michele Timms-PHO49
4.Sophia Witherspoon-NYL44
5.Bridget Pettis-PHO41
6.Elena Baranova-UTA40
7.Eva Nemcova-CLE37
 Tina Thompson-HOU37
9.Tammi Reiss-UTA30
10.Kim Perrot-HOU28

3-Pt Field Goal Attempts

1.Ruthie Bolton-SAC192
2.Cynthia Cooper-HOU162
3.Michele Timms-PHO142
4.Bridget Pettis-PHO134
5.Sophia Witherspoon-NYL126
6.Elena Baranova-UTA106
7.Tammi Reiss-UTA101
8.Tina Thompson-HOU100
9.Kim Perrot-HOU99
10.Eva Nemcova-CLE85

3-Pt Field Goal Pct

1.Eva Nemcova-CLE.435
2.Tamecka Dixon-LAS.423
3.Cynthia Cooper-HOU.414
4.Tora Suber-CHA.397
5.Elena Baranova-UTA.377
6.Tina Thompson-HOU.370
7.Sophia Witherspoon-NYL.349
8.Nicole Levesque-CHA.348
9.Michele Timms-PHO.345
10.Ruthie Bolton-SAC.344

Free Throws

1.Cynthia Cooper-HOU172
2.Wendy Palmer-UTA117
3.Lisa Leslie-LAS113
4.Janice Braxton-CLE106
5.Bridget Pettis-PHO97
6.Jennifer Gillom-PHO94
7.Bridgette Gordon-SAC84
8.Sophia Witherspoon-NYL83
9.Rhonda Mapp-CHA82
10.Isabelle Fijalkowski-CLE81

Free Throw Attempts

1.Cynthia Cooper-HOU199
2.Lisa Leslie-LAS189
3.Wendy Palmer-UTA173
4.Janice Braxton-CLE138
5.Jennifer Gillom-PHO121
6.Kym Hampton-NYL114
7.Pamela McGee-SAC112
8.Sophia Witherspoon-NYL111
9.Bridget Pettis-PHO108
10.Bridgette Gordon-SAC107

Free Throw Pct

1.Bridget Pettis-PHO.898
2.Janeth Arcain-HOU.894
3.Cynthia Cooper-HOU.864
4.Eva Nemcova-CLE.855
5.Dena Head-UTA.844
6.Penny Toler-LAS.839
7.Tina Thompson-HOU.838
8.Isabelle Fijalkowski-CLE.786
9.Bridgette Gordon-SAC.785
10.Jennifer Gillom-PHO.777

Offensive Rebounds

1.Latasha Byears-SAC87
2.Wanda Guyton-HOU76
 Wendy Palmer-UTA76
4.Bridgette Gordon-SAC67
 Tina Thompson-HOU67
6.Vicky Bullett-CHA66
 Marlies Askamp-PHO66
8.Toni Foster-PHO64
9.Lisa Leslie-LAS63
10.Isabelle Fijalkowski-CLE62
 Rebecca Lobo-NYL62

Defensive Rebounds

1.Lisa Leslie-LAS203
2.Elena Baranova-UTA151
 Janice Braxton-CLE151
4.Wendy Palmer-UTA149
5.Rebecca Lobo-NYL141
6.Tina Thompson-HOU117
7.Vicky Bullett-CHA112
8.Kym Hampton-NYL111
9.Toni Foster-PHO108
10.Andrea Stinson-CHA107

Total Rebounds

1.Lisa Leslie-LAS266
2.Wendy Palmer-UTA225
3.Elena Baranova-UTA207
4.Rebecca Lobo-NYL203
5.Latasha Byears-SAC193
6.Janice Braxton-CLE189
7.Tina Thompson-HOU184
8.Vicky Bullett-CHA178
9.Toni Foster-PHO172
10.Kym Hampton-NYL163

Assists

1.Teresa Weatherspoon-NYL172
2.Penny Toler-LAS143
3.Michele Timms-PHO137
4.Chantel Tremitiere-SAC135
5.Cynthia Cooper-HOU131
6.Andrea Stinson-CHA124
7.Jamila Wideman-LAS103
8.Michelle Edwards-CLE89
9.Kim Perrot-HOU88
10.Tammi Reiss-UTA87

Steals

1.Teresa Weatherspoon-NYL85
2.Michele Timms-PHO71
3.Kim Perrot-HOU69
4.Umeki Webb-PHO68
5.Cynthia Cooper-HOU59
6.Chantel Tremitiere-SAC54
 Vicky Bullett-CHA54
 Ruthie Bolton-SAC54
9.Toni Foster-PHO53
10.Tamecka Dixon-LAS49
 Bridget Pettis-PHO49
 Sophia Witherspoon-NYL49

Blocks

1.Elena Baranova-UTA63
2.Lisa Leslie-LAS59
3.Vicky Bullett-CHA55
4.Rebecca Lobo-NYL51
5.Tina Thompson-HOU28
 Janice Braxton-CLE28
7.Toni Foster-PHO21
 Andrea Stinson-CHA21
9.Haixia Zheng-LAS20
10.Kym Hampton-NYL19

Turnovers

1.Chantel Tremitiere-SAC122
2.Cynthia Cooper-HOU109
 Lisa Leslie-LAS109
4.Penny Toler-LAS107
5.Andrea Stinson-CHA99
6.Teresa Weatherspoon-NYL94
7.Rebecca Lobo-NYL88
8.Bridgette Gordon-SAC83
9.Elena Baranova-UTA82
 Bridget Pettis-PHO82

Personal Fouls

1.Isabelle Fijalkowski-CLE129
2.Pamela McGee-SAC113
3.Tina Thompson-HOU107
4.Rhonda Mapp-CHA104
5.Lisa Leslie-LAS99
6.Latasha Byears-SAC98
7.Michele Timms-PHO95
8.Jennifer Gillom-PHO93
9.Umeki Webb-PHO92
10.Wendy Palmer-UTA86

Points

1.Cynthia Cooper-HOU621
2.Ruthie Bolton-SAC447
3.Lisa Leslie-LAS445
4.Wendy Palmer-UTA443
5.Jennifer Gillom-PHO440
6.Andrea Stinson-CHA439
7.Sophia Witherspoon-NYL407
8.Eva Nemcova-CLE384
9.Tina Thompson-HOU370
10.Penny Toler-LAS368

Minutes Per Game

1.Chantel Tremitiere-SAC37.5
2.Andrea Stinson-CHA36.1
3.Michele Timms-PHO35.8
4.Ruthie Bolton-SAC35.3
5.Cynthia Cooper-HOU35.1
6.Bridgette Gordon-SAC35.0
7.Eva Nemcova-CLE33.7
8.Rebecca Lobo-NYL33.5
9.Wendy Palmer-UTA33.4
10.Teresa Weatherspoon-NYL33.0

Points Per Game

1.Cynthia Cooper-HOU22.2
2.Ruthie Bolton-SAC19.4
3.Lisa Leslie-LAS15.9
4.Wendy Palmer-UTA15.8
5.Jennifer Gillom-PHO15.7
6.Andrea Stinson-CHA15.7
7.Sophia Witherspoon-NYL14.5
8.Eva Nemcova-CLE13.7
9.Tina Thompson-HOU13.2
10.Penny Toler-LAS13.1

Rebounds Per Game

1.Lisa Leslie-LAS9.5
2.Wendy Palmer-UTA8.0
3.Janice Braxton-CLE7.6
4.Elena Baranova-UTA7.4
5.Rebecca Lobo-NYL7.2
6.Latasha Byears-SAC6.9
7.Tina Thompson-HOU6.6
8.Vicky Bullett-CHA6.4
9.Toni Foster-PHO6.1
10.Ruthie Bolton-SAC5.8

Assists Per Game

1.Teresa Weatherspoon-NYL6.1
2.Penny Toler-LAS5.1
3.Michele Timms-PHO5.1
4.Chantel Tremitiere-SAC4.8
5.Cynthia Cooper-HOU4.7
6.Michelle Edwards-CLE4.5
7.Andrea Stinson-CHA4.4
8.Jamila Wideman-LAS3.7
9.Kim Perrot-HOU3.1
10.Tammi Reiss-UTA3.1

Steals Per Game

1.Teresa Weatherspoon-NYL3.0
2.Michele Timms-PHO2.6
3.Kim Perrot-HOU2.5
4.Umeki Webb-PHO2.4
5.Ruthie Bolton-SAC2.3
6.Cynthia Cooper-HOU2.1
7.Vicky Bullett-CHA1.9
 Chantel Tremitiere-SAC1.9
9.Toni Foster-PHO1.9
10.Tamecka Dixon-LAS1.8

Blocks Per Game

1.Elena Baranova-UTA2.2
2.Lisa Leslie-LAS2.1
3.Vicky Bullett-CHA2.0
4.Rebecca Lobo-NYL1.8
5.Janice Braxton-CLE1.1
6.Tina Thompson-HOU1.0
7.Toni Foster-PHO0.8
 Andrea Stinson-CHA0.8
9.Haixia Zheng-LAS0.7
10.Kym Hampton-NYL0.7

Player Efficiency Rating

1.Cynthia Cooper-HOU32.2
2.Ruthie Bolton-SAC23.6
3.Vicky Bullett-CHA22.1
4.Lisa Leslie-LAS21.6
5.Rhonda Mapp-CHA20.9
6.Kym Hampton-NYL20.7
7.Andrea Stinson-CHA20.5
8.Rushia Brown-CLE20.2
9.Haixia Zheng-LAS20.2
10.Jennifer Gillom-PHO19.3

True Shooting Pct

1.Haixia Zheng-LAS.635
2.Cynthia Cooper-HOU.629
3.Eva Nemcova-CLE.584
4.Isabelle Fijalkowski-CLE.570
5.Rhonda Mapp-CHA.561
6.Tamecka Dixon-LAS.550
7.Janeth Arcain-HOU.531
8.Janice Braxton-CLE.528
9.Pamela McGee-SAC.525
10.Tina Thompson-HOU.524

Offensive Rebound Pct

1.Latasha Byears-SAC16.1
2.Marlies Askamp-PHO14.9
3.Wanda Guyton-HOU14.7
4.Rushia Brown-CLE12.8
5.Isabelle Fijalkowski-CLE10.6
6.Toni Foster-PHO10.2
7.Tammy Jackson-HOU10.0
8.Tina Thompson-HOU9.8
9.Vicky Bullett-CHA9.6
10.Kym Hampton-NYL9.6

Defensive Rebound Pct

1.Lisa Leslie-LAS25.6
2.Janice Braxton-CLE22.4
3.Latasha Byears-SAC21.0
4.Kym Hampton-NYL20.5
5.Marlies Askamp-PHO20.1
6.Elena Baranova-UTA19.9
7.Wendy Palmer-UTA19.1
8.Toni Foster-PHO19.1
9.Haixia Zheng-LAS18.6
10.Rebecca Lobo-NYL18.4

Total Rebound Pct

1.Latasha Byears-SAC18.5
2.Lisa Leslie-LAS17.8
3.Marlies Askamp-PHO17.4
4.Kym Hampton-NYL15.1
5.Janice Braxton-CLE14.8
6.Toni Foster-PHO14.4
7.Rushia Brown-CLE14.3
8.Tammy Jackson-HOU14.0
9.Wendy Palmer-UTA13.9
10.Tina Thompson-HOU13.7

Assist Pct

1.Teresa Weatherspoon-NYL33.6
2.Cynthia Cooper-HOU31.4
3.Michele Timms-PHO29.6
4.Penny Toler-LAS29.5
5.Michelle Edwards-CLE27.7
6.Andrea Stinson-CHA26.3
7.Jamila Wideman-LAS24.9
8.Kim Perrot-HOU23.8
9.Chantel Tremitiere-SAC23.0
10.Kim Williams-UTA22.2

Steal Pct

1.Kim Perrot-HOU5.6
2.Teresa Weatherspoon-NYL5.0
3.Umeki Webb-PHO4.7
4.Tammy Jackson-HOU4.6
5.Michele Timms-PHO3.9
6.Toni Foster-PHO3.9
7.Rushia Brown-CLE3.6
8.Ruthie Bolton-SAC3.6
9.Tamecka Dixon-LAS3.6
10.Lynette Woodard-CLE3.5

Block Pct

1.Elena Baranova-UTA5.4
2.Vicky Bullett-CHA5.2
3.Lisa Leslie-LAS5.1
4.Rebecca Lobo-NYL4.5
5.Janice Braxton-CLE2.8
6.Haixia Zheng-LAS2.8
7.Tina Thompson-HOU2.7
8.Toni Foster-PHO2.5
9.Kym Hampton-NYL2.4
10.Rushia Brown-CLE2.3

Turnover Pct

1.Ruthie Bolton-SAC11.7
2.Jennifer Gillom-PHO11.9
3.Wendy Palmer-UTA12.5
4.Vickie Johnson-NYL14.7
5.Tina Thompson-HOU14.9
6.Rushia Brown-CLE15.2
7.Kym Hampton-NYL15.8
8.Vicky Bullett-CHA15.9
9.Janice Braxton-CLE16.3
10.Sophia Witherspoon-NYL16.4

Usage Pct

1.Cynthia Cooper-HOU28.7
2.Lisa Leslie-LAS27.7
3.Ruthie Bolton-SAC27.3
4.Wendy Palmer-UTA27.0
5.Jennifer Gillom-PHO25.1
6.Andrea Stinson-CHA25.1
7.Sophia Witherspoon-NYL24.5
8.Merlakia Jones-CLE24.4
9.Bridget Pettis-PHO24.1
10.Rhonda Mapp-CHA24.0

Offensive Rating

1.Cynthia Cooper-HOU119.2
2.Tina Thompson-HOU105.3
3.Ruthie Bolton-SAC105.2
4.Isabelle Fijalkowski-CLE104.7
5.Eva Nemcova-CLE103.9
6.Rhonda Mapp-CHA103.8
7.Janice Braxton-CLE103.5
8.Tamecka Dixon-LAS103.0
9.Janeth Arcain-HOU101.7
10.Kym Hampton-NYL100.8

Defensive Rating

1.Toni Foster-PHO82.5
2.Sue Wicks-NYL82.8
3.Kym Hampton-NYL83.4
4.Umeki Webb-PHO83.7
5.Teresa Weatherspoon-NYL84.4
6.Tia Jackson-PHO84.9
7.Lisa Leslie-LAS85.1
8.Tammy Jackson-HOU85.4
9.Vicky Bullett-CHA86.1
10.Marlies Askamp-PHO86.1

Offensive Win Shares

1.Cynthia Cooper-HOU7.8
2.Ruthie Bolton-SAC3.5
3.Tina Thompson-HOU3.1
4.Eva Nemcova-CLE2.9
5.Isabelle Fijalkowski-CLE2.9
6.Jennifer Gillom-PHO2.7
7.Rhonda Mapp-CHA2.6
8.Bridgette Gordon-SAC2.5
9.Andrea Stinson-CHA2.4
10.Tamecka Dixon-LAS2.4

Defensive Win Shares

1.Teresa Weatherspoon-NYL2.4
2.Lisa Leslie-LAS2.3
3.Michele Timms-PHO2.2
4.Toni Foster-PHO2.1
5.Umeki Webb-PHO2.1
6.Rebecca Lobo-NYL2.0
7.Vicky Bullett-CHA1.9
8.Jennifer Gillom-PHO1.8
9.Kym Hampton-NYL1.8
10.Bridget Pettis-PHO1.7

Win Shares

1.Cynthia Cooper-HOU9.1
2.Jennifer Gillom-PHO4.5
3.Tina Thompson-HOU4.2
4.Vicky Bullett-CHA4.1
5.Michele Timms-PHO4.0
6.Janice Braxton-CLE3.9
7.Ruthie Bolton-SAC3.8
8.Eva Nemcova-CLE3.8
9.Andrea Stinson-CHA3.7
10.Lisa Leslie-LAS3.7

All-WNBA Teams

1st Team
Ruthie Bolton
Cynthia Cooper
Lisa Leslie
Eva Nemcova
Tina Thompson
 2nd Team
Jennifer Gillom
Rebecca Lobo
Wendy Palmer
Andrea Stinson
Teresa Weatherspoon