The Chicago Sky and Las Vegas Aces remain in a tier of their own at the top of the WNBA standings with one month left in the regular season. The Seattle Storm continue to knock on the door, currently just two games back of the first-place Sky and playing their best basketball of the season.

The Aces made a splash this week, signing Kelsey Plum to a contract extension that will keep her with the team through 2024. In the middle of a dominant season, the All-Star Game MVP was on track to be one of the most sought-after free agents on the market this offseason. With Plum re-signed, the Aces will return their entire core for the 2023 season, showing their commitment to the current team under head coach Becky Hammon.

The Minnesota Lynx made a strong push the last two weeks, but have since dropped two of their last four games to remain in 11th place at 10-17. Following a tough travel swing, the Lynx have five days to rest and regroup before they host the Connecticut Sun in a back-to-back series this weekend. Minnesota’s playoff hopes are still very much alive as four teams are currently log-jammed in the standings, fighting for the eighth and final spot with nine games left to play.

D.C. gets stingy

In their first 21 games of the season the Mystics allowed their opponents 76.1 points per game on 43 percent shooting from the field. In their last six, Washington has flipped the script, allowing a league-best 72 points per game on 41 percent shooting.

Despite inconsistencies with the rotation and the occasional rest days for Elena Delle Donne, the Mystics have put themselves in a perfect position to make a playoff run. Currently fifth in the standings at 16-11, Washington sits just four games back of the top seed.

This Mystics team has parallels to last year’s Chicago Sky, who started the season on a losing streak and peaked at the right time to win their first WNBA championship. If the Mystics can continue to rely on their defensive tenacity, stay healthy and keep Delle Donne on the floor, they have enough offensive firepower to make anything happen at the end of August.

Connecticut gets reinforcements

On Monday, the Sun added Bria Hartley to their roster for the remainder of the season.

The ninth-year guard was traded from the Phoenix Mercury to the Indiana Fever in a three-team deal with the Chicago Sky in February that also included Diamond DeShields and Julie Allemand. Hartley averaged 8.7 minutes and 2.5 points in just 10 games for the Fever before she was waived last Friday.

Her divorce agreement with Indiana for $175,911 made her an affordable pickup for the Sun, who were dealt a tough blow at the beginning of the season when they lost starting guard Jasmine Thomas to an ACL injury. Without Thomas, Connecticut’s backcourt has lacked depth and experience on both ends of the floor, and the Sun have struggled with turnovers and defense at the guard position.

In 2020, Hartley had one of the best seasons of her career while playing at full strength for the Mercury, averaging 14.6 points, 4.5 assists and shooting 39 percent from the 3-point line in 25 minutes per game. If the former UConn standout can rediscover even just a portion of that form this season, the Sun’s bench will be even more dangerous down the stretch.

Storm hit their stride

After going 11-7 to start the season, Seattle is 6-1 since June 29 and is riding a four-game win streak into Wednesday’s game against the Sky.

The most glaring difference between the Storm’s first 18 games and last seven is their offensive production. While they aren’t shooting any better from the 3-point line, their overall field-goal percentage has increased along with their pace of play. The Storm have done a much better job of not settling for jumpers, and instead being aggressive and getting to the free-throw line more consistently.

Defensively, Seattle is also giving up fewer points to opponents, averaging 72 points conceded in the last seven games. Take a look at some of the Storm’s key statistics during the two stretches.

First 18 games vs. last seven

PPG: 78.7 — 86.0
FG%: 42.0 –46.6
TO per game: 13.3 — 14.6
RPG: 32.0 — 36.0
SPG: 8.5 — 9.6
FT attempts: 14.1 — 18.9
Defensive rating: 96.0 — 87.7
Pace: 95.47 — 99.09
Opp. PPG: 76.9 — 72.3

This is a big week for the Storm as they look to extend their winning streak on the road against Chicago on Wednesday and Phoenix on Friday. They return home Sunday to play the Atlanta Dream.

Week 11 Power Rankings

1. Chicago Sky (19-6) —
2. Las Vegas Aces (18-7) —
3. Seattle Storm (17-8) +1
4. Washington Mystics (16-11) +1
5. Connecticut Sun (16-9) -2
6. Atlanta Dream (11-14) —
7. Dallas Wings (11-14) +4
8. Phoenix Mercury (11-16) +2
9. Minnesota Lynx (10-17) -1
10. Los Angeles Sparks (10-14) -3
11. New York Liberty (9-15) -2
12. Indiana Fever (5-22) —

Rachel Galligan is a basketball analyst at Just Women’s Sports. A former professional basketball player and collegiate coach, she also contributes to Winsidr. Follow Rachel on Twitter @RachGall.

U.S. Soccer announced Tuesday that the USWNT will play their last home game on July 16th in the lead-up to the 2024 Summer Olympic Games in Paris.

The 2024 Send-Off Match against Costa Rica will take place at Washington, DC’s Audi Field — home to both the Washington Spirit and DC United — at 7:30 p.m. ET on Tuesday, July 16th. The friendly rounds out a four-game Olympic run-up campaign under incoming head coach Emma Hayes’ side, with the last two set to feature the finalized 2024 U.S. Olympic Women’s Soccer Team roster.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Just Women’s Sports (@justwomenssports)

Hayes will appear on the USWNT sideline for the first time this June, helming the team as they embark on a two-game series against Korea Republic hosted by Dick’s Sporting Goods Park in Commerce City, Colorado on June 1st followed by Allianz Stadium in St. Paul, Minnesota on June 4th. 

The team is then scheduled to meet a talented Mexico squad on July 13th at Gotham FC’s Red Bull Arena in Harrison, New Jersey, where the Olympic-bound lineup will attempt to rewrite February’s shocking 2-0 loss to El Tri Femenil in the group stages of this year’s Concacaf W Gold Cup. And while clear roster favorites have emerged from both of this year’s Gold Cup and SheBelives Cup rosters, a spate of recent and recurring injuries means making it to the Olympics is still largely anyone’s game.

Broadcast and streaming channels for the USWNT's final July 16th friendly at Audi Field include TNT, truTV, Universo, Max, and Peacock.

The USA Basketball Women's National Team is still considering Caitlin Clark for a spot on the Paris Olympics squad, says selection committee chair Jennifer Rizzotti. 

On Monday, Rizzotti told the AP that the committee will be evaluating the college phenom’s Olympic prospects by keeping a close eye on her first few weeks of WNBA play with Indiana.

The move is somewhat unconventional. While Clark was invited to participate in the 14-player national team training camp held earlier this month — the last camp before Team USA’s roster drops — she was unable to attend due to it coinciding with Iowa’s trip to the NCAA Women’s Final Four.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Just Women’s Sports (@justwomenssports)

Judging by the immense talent spread throughout the league in what might be their most hyped season to date, competition for a piece of the Olympic pie could be fiercer than ever before.

"You always want to introduce new players into the pool whether it's for now or the future," said Rizzotti. "We stick to our principles of talent, obviously, positional fit, loyalty and experience. It's got to be a combination of an entire body of work. It's still not going to be fair to some people."

Of course, Clark isn’t the first rookie the committee has made exceptions for. Coming off an exceptional college season that saw her averaging 19.4 points, 8.7 rebounds, and 4 assists per game for UConn, Breanna Stewart was tapped to represent the U.S. at the 2016 Olympics in Brazil less than two weeks after being drafted No. 1 overall by the Seattle Storm. Eight years prior, fellow No. 1 pick Candace Parker punched her ticket to the 2008 Games in Beijing just two weeks after making her first appearance for the L.A. Sparks.

In the lead-up to Paris’ Opening Ceremony on July 26th, USA Basketball Women’s National Team is scheduled to play a pair of exhibition games. They'll first go up against the WNBA's finest at the July 20th WNBA All-Star Game in Phoenix before facing Germany in London on July 23rd.

While an official roster announcement date hasn’t yet been issued, players won’t find out if they’ve made this year’s Olympic cut until at least June 1st.

For the first time in history, three different WNBA teams have completely sold out of season ticket plans well before the league's May 14th kick-off.

Call it the Caitlin Clark effect, attribute it to this year’s tenacious rookie class, or look to the skyrocketing visibility of veteran players across the board. But no matter the cause, facts are facts: Tickets to the 2024 WNBA season are selling like never before. 

On Monday, the Dallas Wings became the third team to sell out of season ticket memberships in the league’s 27-year history. The announcement from Arlington came shortly after the Atlanta Dream issued their own season ticket sell-out statement, also on Monday, and almost seven weeks after the back-to-back WNBA Champion Las Vegas Aces made headlines by becoming the first-ever WNBA team to sell out their season ticket allotment.   

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by espnW (@espnw)

According to the Wings, season ticket memberships will fill nearly 40% of the 6,251 seats inside their home arena, College Park Center. The club also said that their overall ticket revenue has ballooned to the tune of 220% this year, spanning not just season tickets but also a 1,200% increase in single ticket sales. There’s currently a waitlist to become a Dallas season ticket holder, a status that comes with extra incentives like playoff presale access and discounts on additional single-game tickets. 

In Atlanta, season tickets aren't the only thing flying off the shelves. The Dream also announced that they broke their own record for single-game ticket sales during a recent limited presale campaign. Sunday was reportedly their most lucrative day, with five different games totally selling out Gateway Center Arena. Individual tickets for all upcoming matchups will hit the market this Thursday at 8 a.m., while a waitlist for season ticket memberships will open up next Tuesday at 10 a.m.

"Excitement around women's sports, particularly basketball, is at an all-time high and nowhere is that felt more than here in Atlanta," Dream president and COO Morgan Shaw Parker said in the team’s statement. "We’ve continued a record-setting growth trajectory over the past three years under new ownership — both on and off the court — and 2024 is shaping up to be our best season yet."

As of Tuesday, season ticket sales revenue for Caitlin Clark’s hotly anticipated Indiana Fever debut haven’t yet been announced by the club. But if these numbers are any indication — not to mention the explosive demand for Fever away games felt by teams around the country — it won’t be long before we see some scale-tipping figures coming out of Indianapolis.

25-year-old American pro golfer Nelly Korda secured her spot in LPGA history on Sunday, notching her fifth-straight title at this weekend's Chevron Championship in The Woodlands, Texas.

Ranked No. 1 in the world by Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings, Korda joins Nancy Lopez (1978) and Annika Sörenstam (2005) as just the third LPGA player to rack up five consecutive tour wins. She is also the third No. 1-ranked player to capture The Chevron Championship victory since the rankings debuted in 2006, accompanied by Lorena Ochoa and Lydia Ko.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by LPGA Tour (@lpga_tour)

The Florida native shot three-under 69 in Sunday's final, besting Sweden's Maja Stark despite Stark's valiant come-from-behind attempt in the 18th. Korda finished with a four-day total of 13-under 275, celebrating her two-stroke win by cannonballing into Poppie's Pond, much to the crowd's delight. She left The Club at Carlton Woods with $1.2 million from an overall purse of $7.9 million.

It wasn't long ago that the two-time major champion's current winning streak seemed unimaginable. After maintaining her No. 1 position for 29 weeks, Korda underwent surgery to remove a blood clot from her left arm in 2022. She returned to the course not long after, but failed to win a single tournament in 2023 before seeing a surge in form during the first four months of 2024. As of today, she hasn't lost a tournament since January.

Korda will attempt a record sixth-straight win at next week's JM Eagle LA Championship at Wilshire Country Club in Los Angeles, where she'll vie for a cut of the $3.75 million purse.