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Your Day in Women’s Basketball, August 20: Liz Camabge to play in Australia

By Spencer Nusbaum

DANDENONG, AUSTRALIA - AUGUST 18: Australian basketball player Liz Cambage poses during a portrait session at Dandenong Basketball Stadium on August 18, 2020 in Dandenong, Australia. Cambage has signed with the Southside Flyers for her return to the WNBL in season 2020/21. (Photo by Darrian Traynor/Getty Images)
DANDENONG, AUSTRALIA - AUGUST 18: Australian basketball player Liz Cambage poses during a portrait session at Dandenong Basketball Stadium on August 18, 2020 in Dandenong, Australia. Cambage has signed with the Southside Flyers for her return to the WNBL in season 2020/21. (Photo by Darrian Traynor/Getty Images) /
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Liz Cambage to play in Australia for Southside Flyers in November

Liz Cambage, more than almost any other player in the WNBA, is an international superstar. She holds the single-game points record in the WNBA. Has a Grand Final appearance in Australia’s WNBL. Is on the receiving end of a Drake name-drop, which should count for Canada.

Ms. Worldwide will return to the WNBL to play for the Southside Flyers, who made the Grand Final last season, as she hopes to take the team over the top. Also… their jerseys look great. I need one.

Natasha Cloud, Tiffany Hayes, and Asia Durr are among the other names to sign internationally after opting-out of the WNBA season.

For the New York Liberty, Tuesday’s game against the Seattle Storm was an opportunity to prove they could hang with the big dogs. For the Storm, it was merely a pit stop. As The Next’s Derek James pointed out, the Storm have stopped “playing down” to their opponents after a near-loss to the Atlanta Dream.

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I predicted the Liberty would score 30 points. Obviously, I was wrong, and this Liberty team isn’t that bad. But the Storm are that good.

After getting cut by the Mystics last week, Shey Peddy took the next step in her long journey and signed a seven-day contract with the Phoenix Mercury.

“(Head coach Sandy Brondello) wants me to be a spark off the bench,” Peddy said. “That’s what I expected. … I’ll be ready whenever my number is called to come in and bring energy.”

Speaking of the Mercury, the team is still trying to get better on the defensive end of the court. At the halfway mark of the season, maybe it’s okay to start asking if this will be a problem in the playoffs.

No one on the Mercury approaches a top ten-defensive rating, and even their top offensive players have been underwhelming on the other side of the ball. And as the team sports five new players on the roster, continuity and chemistry were bound to be an issue. Such are the perils of a short season.

The Connecticut Sun, on the other hand, have feasted because of their defense, thrashing the Indiana offense to the tune of an 84-62 win. The Sun have been phenomenal in transition, and have made the necessary adjustments to their defensive playstyle after an 0-5 start.

“For me, I think our defense propels our offense. When we’re locked in on defense, everything’s clicking on offense, you feel good,” Alyssa Thomas said. “So, part of it was just, we weren’t comfortable and the more we’re playing with each other, the more we’re learning what each other does and as you can see now we’re just starting to string the wins together.”

As for the Indiana Fever, well, that is a team that is struggling offensively. When both Tiffany and Kelsey Mitchell have an off-game, there is not much the Fever can do.

Indiana will be without Victoria Vivians for the rest of the season, as the guard will require surgery for her torn meniscus. In her absence, the Fever signed defensive stalwart Alisia Jenkins.

Episode 3 of “She’s Got Next” is here! Pepper Persley talks to Tierra Ruffin-Pratt of the Los Angeles Sparks. Have a listen!

Wednesday’s Games

The Washington Mystics broke their seven-game losing streak with a 98-91 win over the Atlanta Dream, who have now lost nine straight.

The Minnesota Lynx defeated the Dallas Wings 91-84 once again thanks to the stellar play of Napheesa Collier (18/6/2) and Crystal Dangerfield (21/2/6).

The Los Angeles Sparks continued their winning ways, as a hot start helped the team notch an 83-74 victory over the Phoenix Mercury.

Play of the Day

Vintage Diana Taurasi.

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