2005 WNBA Finals

Basketball series August 2023 WNBA 2005 Connecticut Sun Mike Thibault 1 Sacramento Monarchs John Whisenant 3 September 14 - 20 Yolanda Griffith (Sacramento Monarchs) Monarchs:Yolanda Griffith (2021)Sun:Lindsay Whalen (2022) Connecticut defeated Indiana, 2–0 Sacramento defeated Houston, 2–0 The 2005 WNBA Finals was the best-of-five championship series for the 2005 season of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). The Sacramento Monarchs, top-seeded champions of the Western Conference, defeated the Connecticut Sun, top-seeded champions of the Eastern Conference, three games to one in a best-of-five series. This was Sacramento's first and only title, as the franchise later folded in 2009. The Monarchs made their first appearance in the Finals in franchise history. The Sun appeared in the Finals for the second straight time after having lost to Seattle in 2004. Going into the series, neither team had won a WNBA championship. The Sun's 26–8 record gave them home court advantage over Sacramento (25–9). Road to the finals Sacramento MonarchsConnecticut Sun25–9 (.735)1st West, 2nd overall Regular season26–8 (.765)1st East, 1st overallDefeated the (4) Los Angeles Sparks, 2–0 Conference SemifinalsDefeated the (4) Detroit Shock, 2–0Defeated the (3) Houston Comets, 2–0 Conference FinalsDefeated the (2) Indiana Fever, 2–0 Regular season series The Sun won the regular season series against the Monarchs: #eee June 24 Recap Connecticut Sun |score1=61 Sacramento Monarchs 50 ARCO Arena, Sacramento #eee June 28 Recap Sacramento Monarchs 66 Connecticut Sun |score2=70 Mohegan Sun Arena, Connecticut Game summaries All times listed below are Eastern Daylight Time. Game 1 #eee September 14 7:30pm Recap Sacramento Monarchs 69 65 Connecticut Sun 27–31 42–34 Griffith 25 Sales 23 Griffith 9 McWilliams-Franklin 10 Penicheiro 8 Sales 4 Mohegan Sun Arena, Connecticut 8,157 Humphrey Price Napier ESPN2 Sacramento leads series, 1–0 In an electric atmosphere, Yolanda Griffith came through with a powerful performance. Griffith scored 19 of her 25 points in the second half as the Sacramento Monarchs posted a thrilling 69–65 victory over the Connecticut Sun in Game 1 of the WNBA Finals. An Olympian and All-Star, Griffith helped the Monarchs make the Sun's home-court advantage useless in what is expected to be a tight best-of-five series. With the crowd at Connecticut's Mohegan Sun Arena on its feet for virtually the entire second half, Griffith showed why she's one of the league's top players. The 6'3" Griffith had her way near the basket over the final 20 minutes, making 8-of-10 shots. Her three-point play with 2:59 remaining gave the Monarchs a 63–59 lead. Game 2 #eee September 15 7:30 pm Recap Sacramento Monarchs 70 77 Connecticut Sun 39–38 31–32 0–7 Griffith, Powell 16 McWilliams-Franklin 24 Griffith 9 McWilliams-Franklin 16 Griffith, Newton 3 Carey, Derevjanik, Sales 4 Mohegan Sun Arena, Connecticut 8,555 Blauch Enterline Mattingly ESPN2 Series tied, 1–1 Brooke Wyckoff gave the desperate Connecticut Sun a leg to stand on. Wyckoff's 3-pointer with two seconds left tied the game and the Sun pitched a shutout in overtime as they evened the WNBA Finals with a 77–70 victory over the mistake-prone Sacramento Monarchs. Playing without injured star point guard Lindsay Whalen, the Sun were seconds away from an 0–2 deficit but got back in the best-of-five series. Games 3 and 4 are Sunday and Tuesday at Sacramento. Perhaps Connecticut's best player, Whalen sat out with a non-displaced fracture of her left tibia and a sprained left ankle. Whalen watched helplessly from the bench as two free throws each from DeMya Walker and Kara Lawson gave Sacramento a 70–67 lead with 8.6 seconds remaining. After a timeout, the Sun inbounded to Katie Douglas, who momentarily held the ball but was not fouled by the Monarchs. She passed inside the arc to Taj McWilliams-Franklin, who drew inexplicable help defense from Ticha Penicheiro. McWilliams-Franklin passed to the right corner to an open Wyckoff, whose shot splashed through to force overtime and bring a roar from the crowd at Mohegan Sun Arena. Game 3 #eee September 18 3:30 pm Recap Connecticut Sun 55 66 Sacramento Monarchs 31–35 24–31 Sales 17 Griffith 19 McWilliams-Franklin 13 Griffith 11 McWilliams-Franklin, Sales, Whalen 2 Walker 4 ARCO Arena, Sacramento 14,073 Corteau Trammel Walker ABC Sacramento leads series, 2-1 The Connecticut Sun rallied within a basket before the Sacramento Monarchs moved within one win of a WNBA title. Yolanda Griffith had 19 points and 11 rebounds and the Monarchs withstood a comeback by the Sun in a 66–55 victory that gave them a 2–1 lead in the WNBA Finals. The Monarchs, who lost Game 2 in overtime after allowing a tying 3-pointer before the regulation buzzer, can claim their first championship with a win in Game 4 of the best-of-five series. Griffith had a pair of baskets in a 9–0 burst that gave Sacramento its largest lead at 50–36 with just over 12 minutes to play. However, Connecticut used a 12–0 surge to get back in the game. Two free throws by Nykesha Sales, who scored 17 points, made it 57–55 with 3:16 left. But those were the last points for the Sun, who appeared to wilt down the stretch. After Kara Lawson went backdoor for a layup, Jamie Carey missed a fast-break layup and Sales missed underneath. Ticha Penicheiro split a pair of free throws for a 60–55 lead with 59 seconds to go. Taj McWilliams-Franklin had 16 points and 13 boards for the Sun, who committed 16 turnovers and made just 10-of-19 free throws. Connecticut All-Star guard Lindsay Whalen, who sat out Game 2 with knee and ankle injuries, returned but managed just two points and two assists with five turnovers in 23 minutes. Game 4 #eee September 20 7:30 pm Recap Connecticut Sun 59 62 Sacramento Monarchs 31–25 28–37 Jones 21 Griffith 14 McWilliams-Franklin 10 Griffith 10 Whalen 5 Walker 5 ARCO Arena, Sacramento 15,002 Enterline Napier Price ESPN2 Sacramento wins WNBA Finals, 3-1 It took nine years, but the Sacramento Monarchs can finally call themselves WNBA royalty. The Monarchs won their first WNBA title, riding All-Star Yolanda Griffith and rallying for a frantic 62–59 victory over the hard-luck Connecticut Sun. An original WNBA franchise, the Monarchs won the best-of-five series in four games. They went 7–1 in the postseason, losing only Game 2 of this series in overtime at Connecticut. Sacramento trailed by 11 points in the first half and led by 10 in the second half before the game came down to a final shot. With a chance to tie the game, Nykesha Sales fired an airball on a 3-pointer, allowing ARCO Arena to finally celebrate. A former WNBA MVP and the team leader, Griffith had 14 points and 10 rebounds for her second straight double-double. She averaged 18.5 points and 9.8 rebounds in the series and was named Finals MVP. Awards 2005 WNBA champion: Sacramento Monarchs Finals MVP: Yolanda Griffith Rosters 2005 Sacramento Monarchs Finals WNBA #483B8D #FFFFFF #483B8D #FFFFFF 32 Rebekkah Brunson F 6 3 175 Georgetown USA 7 Erin Buescher F 6 3 181 The Master's College USA 33 Yolanda Griffith C 6 4 175 Florida Atlantic USA 4 Kristin Haynie G 5 9 147 Michigan State USA 20 Kara Lawson G 5 9 165 Tennessee USA 8 Miao Lijie G 5 11 153 China China 9 Hamchetou Maiga-Ba F 6 1 160 Old Dominion Mali 2 Chelsea Newton G 5 11 150 Rutgers USA 21 Ticha Penicheiro G 5 11 149 Old Dominion POR 14 Nicole Powell F 6 3 170 Stanford USA 0 Olympia Scott F 6 2 175 Stanford USA 22 DeMya Walker F 6 3 168 Virginia USA USA John Whisenant New Mexico State USA Tom Abatemarco Dowling College USA Steve Shuman 1 Sacramento State USA Monique Ambers Arizona State USA Jill Jackson 1 Sacramento State 2005 Connecticut Sun Finals WNBA #092C57 #FFC322 #B22222 #FFFFFF 10 Jamie Carey G 5 6 135 Texas USA 22 Jessica Brungo F 6 1 165 Penn State USA 34 Jennifer Derevjanik G 5 10 140 George Mason USA 32 Katie Douglas basketball G/F 6 0 165 Purdue USA 12 Margo Dydek C 7 2 223 Poland Poland 15 Asjha Jones F 6 2 196 Connecticut USA 11 Taj McWilliams-Franklin F/C 6 2 184 St. Edward's College USA 42 Nykesha Sales G/F 6 0 175 Connecticut USA 14 Laura Summerton C 6 2 167 Australia Australia 13 Lindsay Whalen G 5 8 150 Minnesota USA 43 Le'Coe Willingham F 6 0 200 Auburn USA 21 Brooke Wyckoff F 6 1 183 Florida State USA USA Mike Thibault St. Martin's University USA Scott Hawk 1 Nebraska-Omaha USA Bernadette Mattox 1 Georgia USA Lisa Ciaravella 1 Lynn University USA Jen Brodeur 1 Finals Category:Sacramento Monarchs Category:2005 in sports in California Category:2005 in sports in Connecticut Category:WNBA Finals Category:Connecticut Sun Category:September 2005 sports events in the United States Category:2000s in Sacramento, California Category:Basketball competitions in California Category:Basketball competitions in Connecticut Category:Women's sports in Connecticut Category:Women's sports in California