The Eastern Conference-leading Atlanta Dream placed two players in the starting lineup for the 2014 Boost Mobile WNBA All-Star game, as guard/forward Angel McCoughtry and rookie guard Shoni Schimmel were named to the squad late Tuesday by the league office. The WNBA All-Star game will be nationally broadcast on ESPN, Saturday, July 19, at 3:30 p.m. ET from Phoenix, Ariz.
The starting lineups were determined by fan voting, with Schimmel leading all East guards with 25, 601 votes, which third among all WNBA players overall. McCoughtry ranked second among East forwards with 17,562 votes, trailing only Chicago’s Elena Delle Donne, who led all Eastern Conference players with 26,129 votes. It marks the third consecutive time McCoughtry has been voted to start the All-Star game.
The Dream, which leads the Eastern Conference by 4.5 games with a 13-5 record after an 83-71 victory over the Connecticut Sun on Tuesday, will have two starters at the All-Star game for the first time in franchise history.
Entering Tuesday night’s game, McCoughtry ranked second in the WNBA in steals (2.3), fourth in scoring (19.6), tied for eighth in free throw percentage (.864) and 11th in assists (4.2). She was named the Eastern Conference Player of the Week for games played June 16-22, and has been nominated for an ESPY for Best WNBA Player.
Schimmel burst onto the scene, setting a WNBA record for most assists in her first four games in the league with 37. She entered Tuesday night’s game ranked 15th in the WNBA in assists (3.9) and eighth among rookies in scoring (8.1). She has posted seven double-figure scoring games this season, and leads the Dream with 25 three-point baskets.
The Sports Inquirer 
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