Stanford in the pros: WNBA playoff update after round one

The WNBA playoffs have begun and in what was an eventful first round, so how did the four Stanford alumni that reached the playoffs fare?

Sep 22, 2024; Brooklyn, New York, USA; New York Liberty guard Courtney Vandersloot (22) drives past Atlanta Dream guard Haley Jones (13) during game one of the first round of the 2024 WNBA Playoffs at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images / Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images

With the WNBA regular season officially in the rear view mirror, the full slate of playoff games has begun, with round one taking place last week. Out of the six former Cardinal currently in the W, four of them got the chance to participate in the postseason tournament as Nneka Ogwumike (Seattle Storm), Lexie Hull (Indiana Fever), Haley Jones (Atlanta Dream) and Alanna Smith (Minnesota Lynx) helped their teams do enough to be one among the last eight standing. However, with the first round now complete, the field has been cut in half as only four teams remain in contention for the trophy, and only one of those remaining teams has a former Cardinal.

Seattle Storm

Earning the No. 5 seed for the playoffs after finishing the season with a 25-15 record, the Storm took on the No. 4 seeded Las Vegas Aces in the best-of-three first round. In game one, the Storm fell 83-76, with Ogwumike finishing with 16 points, 10 rebounds and an assist in 35 minutes. In game two, the Storm saw their season end with a 78-67 loss, with Ogwumike recording yet another double-double of 13 points and 13 rebounds. Only on a one-year deal, Ogwumike’s future in Seattle is still to be determined, with it being entirely possible that she has played her final game with the Storm.

Indiana Fever

Caitlin Clark was the talk of the season, with the former college legend helping the Fever earn the No. 6 seed in the playoffs, snapping a seven year postseason drought. In the playoffs, the Fever faced the No. 3 seed Connecticut Sun, where they lost both games. Hull put together a strong regular season as a key reserve, and was very good in the playoffs as well. In game one, she played 29 minutes and scored five points, also grabbing six rebounds and recording three assists in the 93-69 loss while in game two, an eight point, three rebound performance in 31 minutes was not enough to keep the season alive as the Fever fell 87-81, ending Clark’s historic rookie season.

Atlanta Dream

In the WNBA, with so many postseason spots available (8) compared to how many teams there are in the league (12), there tends to be at least one team that has a below .500 record. This year, at 15-25, the Atlanta Dream earned the No. 8 seed and a matchup with the top-seeded New York Liberty in the first round.

Despite getting swept in two games, it was not without putting up a fight as a game one 83-69 loss was followed by a 91-82 loss in game two, with Atlanta leading 48-43 at the half. Jones played a smaller role in the series, playing 13 minutes and scoring six points, grabbing one rebound and contributing one assist in game one while only playing four minutes in game two where she scored two points.

Minnesota Lynx

Entering the playoffs as the No. 2 seed, trailing by only two games to the New York Liberty, the Lynx were a force all throughout the regular season and in the opening round of the playoffs, they continued to look like a serious title contender. In two games against the No. 7 seed Phoenix Mercury, they were able to win both games, beating Phoenix 102-95 in game one and 101-88 in game two.

Smith, who the team signed to a multi-year deal in the offseason and who has had a career year, continued her strong season in the playoff series, finishing game one with seven points, three rebounds and three assists in 21 minutes played and finishing game two with 12 points, five rebounds, three assists and four steals in 30 minutes played. The team has since advanced to the best-of-five semifinals, falling 73-70 in game one to the Connecticut Sun. Game two will be played on Tuesday at 6:30 p.m.