NOTRE DAME, Ind. – Last April, Notre Dame women’s basketball made WNBA Draft history, when all five starters were not only selected, but also taken inside the top-20. Now fast forward to this week when the Fighting Irish claimed three of the five spots on the Associated Press WNBA All-Rookie Team: Arike Ogunbowale (Dallas Wings), Jackie Young (Las Vegas Aces) and Brianna Turner (Phoenix Mercury).
Ogunbowale, who was drafted fifth overall by the Dallas Wings, finished third on the all-time rookie scoring list (630 points), behind Seimone Augustus and A’ja Wilson. Ogunbowale became the first rookie to post multiple 35-point games and also the second player in WNBA history to score at least 30 points in four consecutive games. All-in-all, the Milwaukee native averaged 19.1 points per game in her debut year, ranking third in the league in scoring.
Young, who was the No. 1 overall pick of the draft, started in all 34 games, helping the Aces finish second in the Western Conference, with a berth into the second round of the playoffs. Young averaged 6.6 points, 3.3 rebounds and 4.5 assists, as the latter ranked ninth in the league. Young notched a rebound/assist double-double last month, becoming the ninth player in WNBA history to do so.
Turner, whom Phoenix acquired from Atlanta in the first round, broke through in the late half of the season, playing in 29 games with 12 starts. Turner shot 53.8 percent from the field and averaged 4.1 rebounds and 4.0 points. Turner set the team record for blocks in a single game when she collected six against the Las Vegas Aces back on August 20. Lastly, Turner helped the Mercury reach the first round of the playoffs.
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