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Musings: Maya Moore Wins MVP, Team USA Defeats Dominican Republic

Maya Moore has won her first WNBA MVP award, which she will receive tonight as the Lynx begin a run at back-to-back championships. Team USA defeated the Dominican Republic in an exhibition last night, which shouldn't surprise anyone. They'll play one more game prior to heading to Europe for the World Cup.

By ZacharyBD
Hannah Foslien

Morning, everyone.

Minnesota Lynx guard Maya Moore has won her first WNBA MVP award, according to Doug Feinberg of the Associated Press. Moore, who led the league in scoring, averaged a career-best 23.9 points per game this season. Her points per game average ranked third-highest in league history, trailing only Diana Taurasi's 25.3 PPG in 2006 and 24.1 PPG in 2008. Moore finished second to Taurasi in MVP voting last season.

Moore set a WNBA record by scoring at least 30 points 12 times, helping Minnesota finish the year 25-9. She will receive her MVP award tonight prior to tipoff against the San Antonio Silver Stars, as Moore and the Lynx begin their quest for a third championship in four seasons. Game One of the Western Conference Semifinals is scheduled to begin at 8:00 PM local time and will be broadcasted on 106.1FM, as well as televised on ESPN2. Eric will be posting a Lynx Playoff Preview at some point today.

After finishing as the runner up to Taurasi in the voting in 2013, Moore earned WNBA Finals MVP honors after helping Minnesota sweep the Atlanta Dream in three games. This year, Moore will attempt to lead the Lynx to back-to-back championships for the first time in franchise history. Minnesota will likely need to get past Taurasi and the Phoenix Mercury in the Western Conference Finals in order to do that.

"It's a great feeling to be recognized for all the hard work that I've put in," said Moore after being told she had won the award. "I think of all the people who have helped me in my journey as a basketball player. They should be recognized with this award. It means so much to have the respect of the people who watch the game and love the game."

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Three minutes into the opening quarter Team USA found themselves trailing the Dominican Republic, yesterday, by the score of 4-6. That's right before they would embark on a 14-0 run before finishing the first frame ahead, 28-17. The Americans defeated the D.R. by a final score of 105-62. Here are some notables.

  • Kyrie Irving scored 12 points on five-of-five shooting from the field, in addition to recording five assists.
  • Demar Derozan scored 13 points on six-of-nine shooting from the field, while also tallying a game-high six assists
  • The Dominicans had a total of five assists in the entire game

The U.S. will play one more exhibition before heading Spain to participate in the FIBA World Cup. The roster currently sits at 16 and must be reduced to 12 by the start of the tournament. They will face Puerto Rico tomorrow night at Madison Square Garden, the game is scheduled to tipoff at 7:00 PM (Eastern Time) and will be televised on ESPN2.

The Americans first game of the World Cup is Tuesday, August 26th against Slovenia-- who announced Erazem Lorbek will not participate due to a chronic knee issue that has been lingering since last season with FC Barcelona. Lorbek received first team All-Euroleague honors in 2012, and twice received second team distinctions prior to that. The San Antonio Spurs possess the rights to the 30 year old, 6'11'' Slovenian forward.

-zb