April 1, 2006
BOSTON - Sophia Young tallied a double-double en route to earning MVP honors in the Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) All-Star Challenge on Saturday evening. Team Bisque defeated Team Chowder, 90-87, in the game played at Northeastern University's Matthews Arena in Boston.
Young, playing as a member of Team Bisque, finished the game with 24 points and 10 rebounds. She was 11-of-12 from the floor and 2-of-2 from the free throw line. She also added two assists in 29 minutes of court action. Temple's Candice Dupree also poured in 24 points for Team Bisque while Connecticut's Ann Strother added 18 and Rutgers point guard Cappie Pondexter completed the team's double-digit scoring with 14.Texas Tech's Erin Grant, the only other Big 12 player selected to play in the game, tallied four points, six assists and three steals in 31 minutes of action. Old Dominion's Wendy Larry coached Team Bisque while former Connecticut and current WNBA standout Sue Bird served as the celebrity coach.
Connecticut's Barbara Turner and Shanna Zolman of Tennessee each led the other All- Star team, Team Chowder, with 18 points apiece. Michigan State's Liz Shimek knocked down 14 points and led the team in rebounding with eight. Jennifer Harris of Washburn University, the NCAA Division II Player of the Year, scored 13 points for Team Chowder.
"I had no goals or expectations going into the game, I just wanted to go out there and have fun and compete," said Young. "Sophia made us all very proud tonight running up and down that court in her Baylor uniform. This just kind of puts into perspective how special of a player she is," commented Baylor head coach Kim Mulkey-Robertson.
Young is the third Baylor player to play in the WBCA All- Star game. Danielle Crockrom and Sheila Lambert both played in 2002. That year the collegiate all-stars played against WNBA all-stars. In that contest, Crockrom was the Collegiate All-Stars' MVP and Lisa Leslie was named the WNBA MVP. Lambert was injured during the contest, suffering a high ankle sprain and a broken leg.
