WNBA ROOKIE OF THE YEAR
Breanna Stewart wins WNBA rookie of the year award
NEW YORK (AP) — Breanna Stewart is the WNBA rookie of the year.
The league announced Thursday that Stewart received 38 of the 39 votes from a national media panel. San Antonio’s Moriah Jefferson got the other vote.
The No. 1 overall pick in the 2016 draft out of Connecticut, Stewart averaged 18.3 points, 9.3 rebounds and 1.9 blocks, becoming the sixth player in league history to reach those averages in the same season. She helped the Seattle Storm reach the playoffs for the first time since 2013.
It’s the second consecutive season a Storm player won the award, marking the first time in the league’s 20-year history that the same team has back-to-back winners. Jewell Loyd was the rookie of the year in 2015.
The 6-foot-4 Stewart scored in double figures 31 times and had 12 double-doubles. She has a season-high 38 points in a win against Atlanta on July 10.
ATHLETICS-MARINERS
Zunino’s HR spurs Seattle past A’s 3-2
SEATTLE (AP) — Struggling Mike Zunino delivered the go-ahead home run in the seventh inning and Seattle held on for a 3-2 victory over the Oakland Athletics on Thursday night, keeping the Mariners on the edge of the AL wild card chase.
Seattle is two games behind Baltimore and Toronto with three games to play. The Orioles defeated the Blue Jays 4-0 to pull even atop the wild card race. Detroit, which was rained out against Cleveland, is a half-game ahead of the Mariners.
Zunino, hitting .139 over his last 25 games, opened the seventh with his 12th home run, sending a 2-2 pitch from Liam Hendriks (0-4) deep over the wall in left.
Seattle added a run in the eighth on a two-out single by Leonys Martin, a walk to Zunino and Ketel Marte’s RBI single.
Steve Cishek (4-6) came on to stifle an Oakland threat in the seventh with an inning-ending double play and added a perfect eighth. Rookie Edwin Diaz notched his 18th save, despite allowing a run and three hits in the ninth.
JETS-SEAHAWKS
Seahawks not expecting another slop-fest from Fitz, Jets
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) — Pete Carroll and the Seattle Seahawks have seen the Jets’ ugly game film from last week, when Ryan Fitzpatrick kept throwing the ball to the other team.
One interception after the other — six in all for the New York quarterback.
Carroll’s not expecting anything close to that type of slopfest on Sunday when the Seahawks (2-1) take on the Jets (1-2).
“Well, there’s three games, plus the preseason and last season, and we have all kinds of stuff we’re looking at,” the Seattle coach said.
New York will be facing a tough task Sunday against the NFL’s Number 1-ranked defense.
SEAHAWKS-WILSON
Russell Wilson says ‘no doubt’ he’ll play against Jets
RENTON, Wash. (AP) — There is zero doubt in Russell Wilson’s mind that he’ll be able to play Sunday against the New York Jets.
Wilson participated fully in practice with the Seattle Seahawks for a second consecutive day Thursday after suffering a sprained MCL in last Sunday’s 37-18 win over the San Francisco 49ers.
“It was kind of a freak thing, obviously. A scary moment, but tons of rehab and it’s been feeling great, feeling strong, so I’ll be ready to go,” Wilson said.
Wilson hasn’t wavered in his optimism. He was just as certain after the 49ers victory that he would be able to play this week. It’s led head coach Pete Carroll to be equally confident in Wilson’s chances to play.
“He’s pretty determined to get this done,” Carroll said. “He’s upbeat and feeling good and he’s worked really, really hard to do everything to be right and he’s going to go.”
Wilson said he was able to do everything in practice Wednesday. After suffering a high-ankle sprain in Seattle’s Week 1 victory over Miami, Wilson was also able to take part in every part of practice with the team the following week. Despite the argument that Wilson would be better served by getting more rest to recover, Wilson insists on doing as much work as he can.
Copyright 2016 The Associated Press.
