The Sports Inquirer

Releases from Atlanta Dream Media Relations

Schimmel named Player of the Week

Atlanta Dream rookie guard Shoni Schimmel has been named the WNBA Eastern Conference Player of the Week, the league office announced Monday. It marks the first Player of the Week award of Schimmel’s career, and makes her the fourth Dream player to earn the honor this season.

Schimmel helped the Dream go 2-1 last week and clinch the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference for the playoffs, averaging 15.3 points, 4.7 assists and 3.3 rebounds per game.

Schimmel started the week by leading the Dream with 24 points and six rebounds in a 96-82 victory over Western Conference-leading Phoenix on Aug. 13 that clinched the East’s top seed. During the game, she recorded just the sixth 20-point quarter in WNBA history, pouring in 20 second-quarter points and outscoring the Mercury all by herself as the Dream outscored Phoenix 37-15 during the period.

Schimmel followed that performance with 15 points and nine assists in a victory over Tulsa on Aug. 15 in the regular-season home finale. She sank five-of-eight shots while just missing her second double-double of the season. She capped the week with nine points and a pair of assists duringSunday’s loss at Connecticut.

Schimmel concluded the regular season ranked sixth in the WNBA in three-point field goals made (53), 15th in assists (3.6) and seventh in assists per 40 minutes (6.8). Her average of 8.3 points per game ranked sixth among rookies.

Schimmel joined Angel McCoughtry, who twice won the award this season, Sancho Lyttle and Erika de Souza as Dream players to be named Eastern Conference Player of the Week, making the Dream the only team in the league with four different players to be honored.

Dream set to host Sky in Eastern Conference Semifinals

The No. 1 seed Atlanta Dream will host the No. 4-seeded Chicago Sky at Philips Arena in Game 1 of their Eastern Conference Semifinals matchup on Friday, Aug. 22, at 7:30 p.m. ET.

The Dream will also host Game 3 of the Conference Semifinals, if necessary, in the best-of-three series on Tuesday, Aug. 26 at 7:30 p.m. ET. That game will also be televised on NBA TV. Game 2 will take place on Sunday, Aug. 24, in Chicago, starting at 7 p.m. ET, and will be televised by ESPN2.

Atlanta, making its sixth consecutive playoff appearance but first as the conference’s top seed, dropped the season series to Chicago, 3-2. The Dream has never before faced the Sky in the post season.

Game 1 – at Atlanta, Friday, Aug. 22 at 7:30 p.m. ET (NBA TV)
Game 2 – at Chicago, Sunday, Aug. 24 at 7 p.m. ET (ESPN2)
Game 3 – at Atlanta, Tuesday, Aug. 26 at 7:30 p.m. ET (NBA TV)