NEW YORK, May 23, 2016 – Tina Charles of the New York Liberty and Maya Moore of the Minnesota Lynx were named the WNBA’s Eastern and Western Conference Players of the Week, respectively, for games played May 14 through May 22.
Charles earned the Player of the Week honor for the 15th time in her seven-year career. The 2012 WNBA Most Valuable Player and four-time All-Star helped New York win two of its first three games this season. The former University of Connecticut standout led the WNBA in rebounding (12.7 rpg) and among Eastern Conference players ranked first in scoring (21.7 ppg) and sixth in assists (3.3 apg).
Charles tipped off her season with back-to-back games of 24 points and 11 rebounds – first in an 87-76 win at the Washington Mystics on May 14 and then in a 79-71 win over the Dallas Wings in New York’s home opener on May 15. She followed those performances with her third consecutive double-double, a 17-point, 16-rebound effort in a 79-72 loss to the visiting Los Angeles Sparks on May 21.
Other candidates for the Eastern and Western Conference Players of the Week were the Atlanta Dream’s Layshia Clarendon, Chicago’s Elena Delle Donne and Cappie Pondexter, the Connecticut Sun’s Alyssa Thomas, Dallas’ Odyssey Sims, Los Angeles’ Candace Parker and Nneka Ogwumike, Minnesota’s Sylvia Fowles, Phoenix’s Diana Taurasi, the San Antonio Stars’ Kayla McBride, Seattle’s Jewell Loyd and Washington’s Tayler Hill.
The Liberty returns to action at Madison Square Garden on Tuesday morning, May 24, when it hosts the Atlanta Dream for School Day presented by Indigo Rein. Tipoff will be at 11 a.m.
For more information on this week’s Players of the Week, visit www.wnba.com/awards.