Three former Maryland women’s basketball players helped the Washington Mystics capture their first-ever WNBA championship. Kristi Toliver, Shatori Walker-Kimbrough and Tianna Hawkins all played big roles in the Mystics’ run this season that culminated in the WNBA title over the Connecticut Sun.
In the decisive game five of the finals, Toliver led the Mystics in minutes played, taking the court for 38 of the 40 minutes of the contest. In her time on the court, she scored 18 points, going 5/11 from the field and 7/7 from the free throw line. She also chipped in four assists and four rebounds to round out her stellar performance. Across the playoffs, Toliver averaged just over 14 points per game, 5.2 assists per game, and 1.7 rebounds per game.
Walker-Kimbrough and Hawkins did not see much of the court during game five, but they both had an impact in the playoffs. Walker-Kimbrough scored 19 points across the playoffs, and Hawkins knocked in 38 points.
The Mystics also featured former Terp Natasha Cloud, who transferred to Saint Joseph’s after her freshman year with Maryland.
On the losing side of the finals were former Terps Alyssa Thomas and Brionna Jones. Thomas had an impressive game five, in which she scored 21 points on 9/14 shooting in 37 minutes. She also had six assists and 12 rebounds in the game. Across the playoffs, Thomas averaged 16 points and 9.3 rebounds per game to go along with a shoutout from LeBron James. Jones only saw the court for six minutes in game five, but she scored 10 points across the playoffs.
