Tiffany Hayes of the Atlanta Dream and Breanna Stewart of the Seattle Storm today were named the WNBA’s Eastern and Western Conference Players of the Month, respectively, for games played in July. It’s the second Player of the Month honor for Hayes and first for Stewart.
Behind Hayes, Atlanta posted a 9-2 mark in July to finish the month with an East-leading 16-10 record. Hayes ranked third among Eastern Conference players in scoring (17.6 ppg) to go with 3.7 rebounds and 2.9 assists per game. Hayes also ranked sixth in field goal percentage (50.7) and free throw percentage (87.2) and 10th in three-point percentage (38.5) among East players. Hayes scored in double figures in each of her 11 games.
On July 6, Hayes finished with 23 points and three rebounds in a 95-86 loss to the visiting Seattle Storm. She had her second 20-point performance of the month in an 82-68 win over the New York Liberty on July 19.
The highlight of the month for Hayes came on July 17, when she made a game-winning half-court shot to complete an 18-point effort as Atlanta defeated the Connecticut Sun 86-83. Hayes recorded 16 points, five assists and four rebounds in an 87-74 victory over the league-leading Storm on July 22. She followed that performance with 12 points, five assists and five rebounds as the Dream defeated the Las Vegas Aces 81-71 to record its franchise-high eighth consecutive win on July 24.
Stewart ranked second among Western Conference players in scoring (22.5 ppg), tied for second in rebounding (8.7 rpg), third in field goal percentage (53.2) and fifth in blocks (1.36 bpg). She also ranked sixth in steals (1.55 spg), tied for seventh in free throw percentage (85.7) and eighth in three-point percentage (40.0) among West players.
The 2016 WNBA Rookie of the Year posted seven games with at least 20 points, including three 30-point performances. On July 14, Stewart recorded a season-high 35 points to go with 10 rebounds in a 91-84 home win against the Dallas Wings. She followed that performance with 30 points, nine rebounds and two blocks in a 101-83 road victory over the Chicago Sky on July 18.
On July 6, Stewart scored 29 points, hauled in nine rebounds and blocked three shots in a 95-86 road win against the Dream. In a 92-72 road victory over the Indiana Fever on July 24, Stewart finished with 26 points, 10 rebounds and five assists.
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