WNBA Recap: Monday’s top performers ranked, including Caitlin Clark, Breanna Stewart, and more

Good morning, WNBA fans! It was a busy Monday night in the association, with game play tipping off in Atlanta in front of a sold-out 17,000+ crowd that saw Caitlin Clark come to town for the first time.

Then, the full-strength looked to bounce back from a loss to the Sun with a win against the Mercury, Liberty forward Betnijah Laney-Hamilton returned to the lineup for the first time in six weeks after recovering from knee surgery.

The Mystics also traveled to Seattle, hoping to stay in the win column after their Friday night win over the Sparks. They did just that, pulling out a rare clutch-time victory over the Storm.

First, Monday’s game results:

• The Indiana Fever (14-16) beat the Atlanta Dream (10-19), 84-79
• The New York Liberty (26-5) beat the Phoenix Mercury (16-15), 84-70
• The Washington Mystics (8-22) defeated the Seattle Storm (18-11), 74-72

Here were the top performers around the league:

5. Brittney Griner, Phoenix Mercury

Photo by Paras Griffin/Getty Images

Brittney Griner finished with 22 points (11-16 FG), 6 rebounds, 2 blocks in Monday’s Mercury loss to the Liberty.

But, the Liberty’s blitzing defensive scheme helped force her into 7 turnovers.

“I thought for the most part, she still had 22 points,” Liberty head coach Sandy Brondello said psotgame. “That is when we left her in single coverage. She is a great player. I thought that when we were blitzing, we brought our bigger post players. I thought Stewie (Breanna Stewart) did a really good job. We rotated well out of it. It is relying on your scrambled defense. It was effective.”

5. Tina Charles, Atlanta Dream

Photo by Adam Hagy/NBAE via Getty Images

Just a few days after becoming the second-leading scorer in WNBA history, Tina Charles exploded for 28 points on 13-21 shooting, alongside 8 rebounds, in a loss to the Fever. With teammates Allisha Gray (3-12 FG) and Rhyne Howard (5-17 FG) struggling, Charles kept Atlanta in the game all way to the final minutes.

Still, Charles praised the Dream’s effort in the loss.

“At the end, like I told these guys, I don’t care about the score — wins or losses,” Charles said. “I just care about the character we showed throughout the game, and I thought we showed great character.”

4. Kelsey Mitchell, Indiana Fever

Photo by Paras Griffin/Getty Images

Kelsey Mitchell is on an absolute tear. She’s averaging 26.3 points per game in the month of August — the most of any WNBA player. In Monday’s win, Mitchell had a game-high 29 points (10-23 FG) and 8 rebounds. Her night was punctuated by an and-one layup with 3 minutes to play that gave the Fever a 7 point lead and helped put the game out of reach.

Mitchell credited the team’s pace for her success.

“For us, it’s about playing uptempo,” Mitchell said. “And I like to play that way, and I got teammates that want to play that way. So for me, it’s about obviously being confident in my play, but playing alongside my teammates, and kind of letting that chemistry flow. When I find my spots, and utilize my team to find that spot, I look decent.”

3. Caitlin Clark, Indiana Fever

Photo by Stephen Maturen/Getty Images

Caitlin Clark recorded 19 points, 7 rebounds, 7 assists, and 2 steals on Monday. Of note, she only turned over the ball twice — her first game with less than 3 turnovers since May.

Clark reflected on playing in front of more than 17,000 people — the largest crowd for a WNBA game ever in Georgia.

“I feel like I’m only 22 years old, but I act like I’m 10. I feel like I’m just a kid that plays basketball and has a lot of fun,” Clark said postgame. “For me, coming into these arenas and these environments, I look around and it’s incredible. It really is.”

2. Breanna Stewart, New York Liberty

Photo by Chris Coduto/Getty Images

Breanna Stewart finished with 21 points (8-17 FG), 6 rebounds, and 6 assists in Monday’s win over the Mercury. She was also tasked with guarding Kahleah Copper — the league’s second leading scorer — and holding her to just 14 points, including no free throw attempts.

“Stewie doesn’t get enough credit for her defense,” Sandy Brondello said. “Obviously, Copper is a great player, but she’s really smart… she’s an amazing player, but to not get to the foul line, that’s discipline, too.”

1. Brittany Sykes, Washington Mystics

Photo by Amanda Loman/Getty Images

In the Mystics’ win over the Storm, Brittney Sykes scored 20 points — and sunk a pair of game-winning free throws with a second to play.

Sykes reflected on having her number called on the final position and being put in position to secure the win.

“I’m not a big iso player — that’s not really my cup of tea,” Sykes said. “But in the last year or so, especially in this season, I’m seeing that that’s something I have to get comfortable with. My teammates have the utmost confidence in me to make the right play, whether it’s to dish it when it needs to be dished, or go score.”