Tiffany Mitchell named to WNBA’s all-rookie team

Tiffany Mitchell was named to the WNBA All-Rookie team by the Associated Press.

The South Carolina great averaged 8.6 points per game for the Indiana Fever in the regular season, shooting 29.4 percent from three-point range and 91.1 percent from the free thrown line.

The two-time SEC Player of the Year finished her college career with a school record for starts (139) and was part of a group of seniors who won a record 121 games in four years. Mitchell scored 1,885 points, fifth on the career chart, and was second in 3-point and free-throw percentage.

The WNBA playoffs begin Wednesday with the No. 5 seed Indiana (17-17) hosting No. 8 Phoenix (16-18).

Los Angeles’ Nneka Ogwumike was named Associated Press WNBA Player of the Year honors. She averaged 19.7 points, 9.1 rebounds and 3.1 assists and shot 66.5 percent from the field, helping lead the Sparks to the second best record in the WNBA and a bye until the semifinals of the playoffs.

Awards are chosen by the 14-member media panel that votes for the weekly power poll.

▪  Seattle’s Breanna Stewart won rookie of the year. The former UConn star was the only rookie on the AP WNBA first team. She was joined by Ogwumike, Tina Charles, Maya Moore and Elena Delle Donne.

Sue Bird, Diana Taurasi, Angel McCoughtry, Candace Parker and Sylvia Fowles were on the second team.

▪  Stewart was joined on the the all-rookie team by Mitchell, San Antonio’s Moriah Jefferson, Dallas’ Aerial Powers and Chicago’s Imani Boyette.

▪  Atlanta’s Elizabeth Williams was voted the most improved player.

▪  Connecticut’s Chiney Ogwumike earned comeback player of the year honors after recovering from microfracture surgery in her right knee that sidelined her last year.

▪  Minnesota’s Sylvia Fowles was defensive player of the year while leading the Lynx to one of the top-rated defenses in the league.

This story was originally published September 20, 2016 at 4:16 PM with the headline "Tiffany Mitchell named to WNBA’s all-rookie team."