UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Three former Penn State women's basketball players will be suiting up in the WNBA playoffs when the 2018 postseason gets underway Tuesday.
Alex Bentley is a member of the second-seeded Atlanta Dream, while Tanisha Wright will be suiting up with the seventh-seeded Minnesota Lynx. Maggie Lucas recently signed with the eight-seeded Dallas Wings ahead of this week's playoffs.
Under head coach Coquese Washington, Penn State has seen four pupils drafted – Bentley, Tyra Grant, Nikki Greene and Lucas - and three more sign free agent contracts – Ariel Edwards, Kam Gissendanner and Zhaque Gray.
Overall, Penn State has seen 15 Lady Lions selected in the WNBA Draft, including seven picked in the first 20 selections of the event. Wright and Kelly Mazzante have each achieved the ultimate goal of winning a WNBA championship, with Mazzante winning a pair of titles in Phoenix and Wright claiming a title in Seattle.
Bentley and the second-seeded Atlanta Dream will have first and second round byes and will open action in the semifinals on Sunday, Aug. 26. Bentley was drafted by the Dream in 2013 before spending four-plus seasons with the Connecticut Sun. The sixth-year pro was traded back to the Dream in July. Bentley joined the 2,000-point club in early August and has averaged 10.8 points and 2.9 assists per game throughout her six-year professional career. Bentley will be returning to the playoffs for the third time in her career. She reached the postseason in 2017 with Connecticut and 2013 with Atlanta.
Wright and the Minnesota Lynx open action Tuesday, Aug. 21 in the first round at the Los Angeles Sparks. The winner advances to the second round to face Washington or Connecticut on Thursday, Aug. 23. Wright is a WNBA veteran who has helped her organizations to the playoffs in 12 of her 13 seasons. The former Lady Lion led the Seattle Storm to the title in 2010 and is a five-time WNBA All-Defensive first team honoree. Wright's 3,177 career points, 1,296 assists and 1,104 rebounds make her one of 10 players in WNBA history with at least 3,000 points, 1,000 rebounds, and 1,200 assists. She has played in 33 games for the Lynx this season, tallying 141 points, 65 assists and 53 rebounds.
Lucas was acquired by the Dallas Wings on Sunday, Aug. 19 and will be joining the squad ahead of its first-round playoff game at Phoenix on Tuesday, Aug. 21. The winner advances to take on Washington or Connecticut in the second round Thursday. After helping the Indiana Fever reach the Eastern Conference Finals in back-to-back seasons (2014 and 2015) to begin her professional career, Lucas suffered a knee injury early in the 2016 campaign and again prior to the 2017 season, which forced her to miss the entire year. Lucas most recently played seven games this season with the Atlanta Dream. Lucas was a 2014 second-round draft pick (21st overall) of the Phoenix Mercury, but was acquired by the Indiana Fever during training camp just prior to the start of the 2014 season.
A full schedule of the WNBA Playoffs is listed below:
Time (ET) TV
FIRST ROUND
Tue Aug. 21 Dallas at Phoenix 8:30 PM ESPN2
Tue Aug. 21 Minnesota at Los Angeles 10:30 PM ESPN2
SECOND ROUND
Thu Aug. 23 TBD at Washington 6:30 PM ESPN2
Thu Aug. 23 TBD at Connecticut 8:30 PM ESPN2
SEMIFINALS
Seattle vs TBD
Sun Aug. 26 TBD at Seattle – GM1 5:00PM ESPN2
Tue Aug. 28 TBD at Seattle – GM2 10:00PM ESPN2
Fri Aug. 31 Seattle at TBD – GM3 TBA ESPNews/NBA TV
Sun Sep. 2 Seattle at TBD – GM4* TBA ESPN2
Tue Sep. 4 TBD at Seattle – GM5* TBA ESPNews/NBA TV
Atlanta vs TBD
Sun Aug. 26 TBD at Atlanta – GM1 3:00 PM ESPN2
Tue Aug. 28 TBD at Atlanta – GM2 8:00 PM ESPN2
Fri Aug. 31 Atlanta at TBD – GM3 TBA ESPNews/NBA TV
Sun Sep. 2 Atlanta at TBD – GM4* TBA ESPN2
Tue Sep. 4 TBD at Atlanta – GM5* TBA ESPN2
*- if necessary
