Tulsa, OK, United States (AHN Sports) – Temeka Johnson scored 22 points and Riquna Williams added 19 points off the bench and the Tulsa Shock raced past the Phoenix Mercury 87-75 to salvage their first victory of the season Sunday at BOK Center.

Losers of their first 9 games, the Shock finally overcame their woes as they came up with a collective effort to defeat the equally struggling Mercury.
Glory Johnson and Ivory Latta scored 12 points each for the Shock, who used a 31-point outburst in the fourth quarter to pull away from the Mercury.

DeWanna Bonner tallied 24 points and 9 rebounds while Charde Houston added 22 points for the Mercury, who are minus former MVP Diana Taurasi, out with a strained left hip flexor.

The Shock just shot .385 percent from the field but their defense forced the Mercury to commit 25 turnovers, most of them in the pivotal fourth quarter.

The Shock improved to 1-9, while the Mercury fell to a 2-6 slate.


(gantdaily.com)

BRISTOL, Conn. - Miami seniors Shenise Johnson and Riquna Williams were selected by the San Antonio Silver Stars and the Tulsa Shock with the fifth and 17th picks, respectively, in Monday's 2012 WNBA Draft held at ESPN Studios.

Johnson and Williams become the third and fourth players in Miami's history to be selected in the WNBA Draft and are the first pair of Miami teammates to hear their names called onto the draft stage.

"I am so thrilled for Shenise and Riquna," Miami head coach Katie Meier said from the draft. "It is a dream-come-true moment for them both. It's a statement to these young ladies and the great careers they had."

Johnson ended her stellar collegiate career as only the second woman in NCAA Division I history to amass 2,000 points, 1,000 rebounds, 500 assists and 400 steals in a career. Only Nancy Lieberman (Old Dominion, 1976-80) can share that distinction.

In March, the Henrietta, N.Y. native became just the 11th player in Atlantic Coast Conference history to be named to three First Team All-ACC squads. Johnson was named All-America her final two seasons at Miami and earned ACC Player of the Year honors after her junior campaign.
"Shenise being a Top 5 pick is just awesome for her, her family and frankly for this university and program," Meier said. "Moe can do it all and will be very successful at the pro level."

Williams, known as one of the most explosive players in the draft, ended her Miami career with 2,148 points, fifth on the school's all-time list. Her 272 made three-pointers are 104 more than the next closest Hurricane and her 64 blocks are the most of any player under 5-foot-7.

The Pahokee, Fla. native was named to Third Team All-America by the Associated Press after this season and she was a two-time First Team All-ACC performer.

"Riquna is such a tremendous scorer and her game projects so well for the next level," added Meier. "It is going to be fun watching them both compete."

In 2006, Miami's Tamara James became the first Hurricane selected in the first round, when she went eighth overall to the Washington Mystics. Ocatavia Blue (1994-98) was the first player from UM taken in the draft, when the Los Angeles Sparks took her with the 15th overall pick.


(wplg.com)

This week we will be posting Q&As with some of the nation's top prospects so they can introduce themselves to WNBA fans.

Riquna Williams just finished her career at Miami. In four years with the Hurricanes, Williams averaged over 17 points a game, which pushed her over the 2,000-point plateau. Williams teamed up with fellow draft prospect Shenise Johnson to form one of the most formidable duos is Miami history. She was named a Third-Team All-American her senior year.

Check out Riquna's prospect profile.

One of your teammates, Shenise Johnson, is also expected to be a coveted draft prospect. Can you talk about what it’s like to play with someone of her talents?
Playing with Shenise Johnson was a great experience. Every day we made each other better. Her ability to rebound and defend is what made her better than all of the other guards around us.   

There’s a chance both you and Shenise will be first round picks.Can you talk about what that means for the Miami program that is often overshadowed in the ACC? For Miami this means history. Shenise and I have really put in a lot of work to become possible first-round picks. 

What will you tell teams if they ask you about not traveling with the team for the NCAA Tournament this season? 
I will tell teams that I am grateful for the opportunity that Katie Meier and the University of Miami have given me, even though I was unable to travel with the team, they still gave me the opportunity to showcase my talent at a high level which has put me in a great position.

What strengths, qualities or skills will be able to bring to a WNBA team?
My quickness and ability to be a leader, my drive and passion for the game, and wanting to get better every day and helping push my teammates in the same way. I know that in the WNBA that everyone pretty much has the same aspirations as one another and I’m just going to work my tail off every day.

What do you expect to be some of the biggest challenges or adjustments at the next level? Having to consistently run the point guard position because I have never ran the point consistently.

What specific skills do you need to work on in order to succeed at this level?
What I have been working on is finishing on the left side. I know I need to work on my shooting percentages from inside and out.

When were you introduced to the game of basketball? When I was 8 years old was when I was introduced to the game of basketball.

When did you know you wanted to be a professional basketball player? And, given that dream, when did you realize that you had a legitimate shot of doing so? My freshman year in college was when I knew that I wanted to be a professional basketball player. My sophomore year when I started getting attention from the media and we made it to the WNIT was when I realized I had a legitimate shot of doing so.

What do you think it will feel like when your name first gets called and who will you share the moment with?
I feel like I am going to be very emotional and I am going to share the moment with my agent Sharon Creer and my high school coach Anthony Whitfield.

Once you get settled in a new team, do you have any first-year goals in mind? 
My number one goal is to build relationships with my teammates and the coaching staff.

What WNBA players are you most looking forward to playing against or meeting? I’m most looking forward to meeting Sue Bird, Tamika Catchings, and Candace Parker.

What is your best on-court moment? Playing and beating Maryland at Miami last season.

Tell your new fans something that most people do not know about you? I love to color.

How would you describe yourself? Shy.

What’s your favorite movie? What type of music do you listen to? Any particular artists that you listen to prior to a game? My favorite movie is any Tyler Perry movie. I love R&B music.


(wnba.com)