SEE VIDEO: 2015 WNBA All-Star Game Report

The WNBA Western Conference won the 2015 WNBA All-Star game held on July 25th at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Connecticut, defeating the Eastern Conference 117-112.

Minnesota Lynx forward Maya Moore was the game’s MVP scoring a record 30 points for a WNBA All-Star game. Additionally, Moore posted six rebounds and five assists.

New York Liberty center Tina Charles led all scorers with 13 points in the first half.

This is the last WNBA All-Star appearance for Tamika Catchings, who holds a record 10 WNBA All-Star Game appearances; she is retiring in 2016.

For more detail about the game see The 2015 WNBA All-Star Game: New Records and End of an Era.

Tamika Catchings and Maya Moore hold new WNBA All-Star Game records

Every big annual event has its storylines and the 2015 WNBA All-Star Game was no different. The 2015 WNBA All-Star game became the first WNBA All-Star Game to be televised on ABC, instead of a 2nd or 3rd tier channel on ESPN.

Minnesota Lynx guard Maya Moore tallied up 30 points, a WNBA All-Star Game record. Moore added six rebounds and five assists.

Indiana Fever forward and 2011 WNBA MVP Tamika Catchings now holds the record of 10 WNBA All-Star Game appearances. Catchings won’t be building on this record because this will be her last WNBA All-Star game. Catchings is retiring in 2016, and because of the 2016 Summer Olympics, there will be no 2016 WNBA All-Star Game.

"It's definitely sentimental," Catchings said, according to ESPN.com's Mechelle Voepel. "This is my last All-Star. My playing career will be over next year, but hopefully the legacy I leave behind will keep going."

Right now, Catchings’ legacy holds another WNBA All-Star game record. Catchings, finishing with eight points, 10 rebounds and six assists, is the all-time WNBA All-Star Game leading scorer with104 points! Historic! 

Our hometown player, New York Liberty center Tina Charles, did her best to represent the East. Charles showed off her brilliance early, leading all scorers with 13 points in the first half.

New york Liberty center Tina Charles stretching before playing in the 2015 WNBA All-Star Game. Photo Credit: Jessica Hill/AP

At game’s end, the WNBA Western conference defeated the East 117-112. And, Minnesota’s Maya Moore showed that she is not only an all-star but, an MVP, too.

Nothing can stop the New York Liberty from #BURNINGBRIGHT

The ladies of New York’s WNBA basketball team, the New York Liberty, are making strides as they begin to wrap up their regular season with just 5 games left. After defeating Minnesota 81-68, the Liberty clinched its first playoff berth since 2012. Soon after they defeated the Connecticut Sun 80-66 and became the first WNBA team to reach 20 wins this season. The last time New York reached that many wins were in 2010 when it was 22-12, which was the second-best record in the Eastern Conference. What’s amazing about this team, is that it is breaking records and making accomplishments as a unit, and individual players are setting career records and receiving league honors.

Epiphanny Prince: The Hometown Hero

Liberty guard Epiphany Prince was named Eastern Conference player of the week for the 4th time of her career, and the second time since she has joined the New York Liberty.

New York Liberty guard Epiphanny Prince defending ball against Chicago Sky.

Prince missed the first 10 games of the season due to prior obligations with the Russian National team. Nevertheless, she went straight to business once she returned to her new team, scoring 12 points off the bench in the team’s overtime win against the Washington Mystics. Since her return, Prince had just one game where she did not score in the double digits. However, she made up for the lost points when she dropped a total of 30 against her former team the Chicago Sky. Prince currently averages 15.5 points per game along with 3.5 assists and 2.9 rebounds. Prince plays a crucial role in the Liberty’s roster and it is evident that her seasoned skills on the court were the missing piece of the Liberty’s winning puzzle.

New York Liberty Rookies Rocking Records

Rookie center, Kiah Stokes is on fire!

New York Liberty's Kiah Stokes blocks Connecticut Suns' Kelsey Bones' shot 

Stokes was named the WNBA Rookie Player of the month. Aside from her rookie accomplishments, she recorded her third double-double of the season with 12 points and 10 rebounds last week in the team’s win over the Sun. Upon entering her rookie season, Stokes struggled to get into the professional flow of the game but once she did, she became unstoppable. On July 16th, she set a franchise record with 8 blocks over Connecticut. She currently is tied for fifth in blocks for the league. However she led all rookies in blocks as well as field goal percentage and rebounds, for the month of August. This month Stokes also scored a career high of 13 points in the Liberty’s 84-63 win over the Chicago Sky. Kiah is en-route to becoming one of the league’s best defenders.

Brittany Boyd is the other rookie on the team and she, too, is coming into her own and setting career highs.

New York Liberty guard Brittany Boyd

Boyd was able to snag a starting position early in the season, but she has since gone down to the bench, but that has yet to stop her from putting on a show-stopping performance. In the Liberty’s 81-76 loss against the Tulsa Shock, Boyd managed to reach her career high of 22 points and was the team’s leading scorer. This rookie is no stranger to being in a leadership position; she led the team in points back in June after dropping 18 in the Liberty’s 73-65 win over the Atlanta Dream. Boyd is a key player for the Liberty, her speed level up and down the court along with her driving force to the basket has helped her team make multiple comebacks throughout the season. Every game she shows that it is only the beginning of her soaring career.

Scorching off the Bench

Liberty veteran, Candice Wiggins has been making an incredible impact on her team in the past few games and she continues to show why she is a WNBA champion.

New York Liberty guard Candice Wiggins

Wiggins entered the season on a slow start and was not receiving much playing time. Since the first half of the season, we are now seeing a lot more action from her and are witnessing her divine accuracy from the 3-point line. Wiggins currently averages 41.9 percent from 3-point range, almost reaching her professional career best of 45.7 percent. Wiggins never fails to come with fire off the bench. Early in the season, she contributed as many as 15 points to her team’s 89-81 victory over the Chicago Sky. Wiggins seasoning as veteran adds the perfect amount of heat to the Liberty’s team chemistry.

New York has managed to pull its record to 21-8 which is currently the best-looking record in the league. None of it could have been possible if each of the Liberty’s 11 players wasn't pushing together to become the best team that it can be. New York is looked at to be one of the top contenders in the Eastern Conference Finals which creates a huge target on its back. In past seasons, the Liberty was seen as an easy win for other teams in the league and now they are considered the team to beat. The Liberty is set to scorch the court and improve their home court record at Madison Square Garden tomorrow night, against the Chicago Sky. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. eastern standard time.

Seattle Storm Selects Jewel Loyd as No. 1 Draft Pick at 2015 WNBA Draft

On Thursday night, 36 of the nation’s top women’s basketball players were drafted into the WNBA. The 2015 WNBA draft was held at the Mohegan Sun Arena for the second year in a row. It was an overall epic night for the 12-team league, each team made strategic decisions based on their team’s performance during the WNBA 2014-2015 season. As expected, multiple trades took place during all three rounds of the 2015 WNBA Draft. It was clear that the 12 teams knew exactly what kind of players they needed to help bring success to their team for the upcoming season.

The Seattle Storm selected Notre Dame’s shooting guard, Jewell Loyd as the No. 1 overall draft pick. The 5-10 junior waited until 5 days before the draft to declare her eligibility. The decision to end her college basketball career one year early was not an easy one; however it was a decision that is now known as one of the biggest game changers in the 2015 WNBA Draft. Lloyd was named espnW’s 2014-2015 National Player of the Year, was a First Team All American selection, and she was named the ACC Player of the Year. She also helped lead her team to the 2015 NCAA Division 1 Championship two years in a row. To top off her great accomplishments she scored 772 points this season, averaging 22 point per game.

The No. 2 draft pick Amanda Zahui B. also made the decision to wrap up her college career after just 2 seasons with the Minnesota Golden Gophers. She was chosen by the Tulsa Shock. Zahui B. broke records at Minnesota becoming the Golden Gophers first player to be named to the AP All-America First Team. She also set a record with 240 career blocks. During her final season she averaged 18.8 points, 12.9 rebounds and 4.1 blocks.

Amanda Zahui B of the Minnesota Golden Gophers selected No. 2 overall by the Tulsa Shock at 2015 WNBA Draft

With the third pick in the WNBA draft, the Seattle Storm chose NCCA Division 1 champion, Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis of UConn. The 5’11 forward was named the NCAA’s all-time leader in made three-point shots, with a total of 398. Kaleena averaged 15.3 points, 4.2 rebounds and 2.3 assist per game.

The Connecticut Sun selected Duke’s center/forward Elizabeth Williams for the No.4 overall pick. The No.5 pick went to the Chicago Sky who selected Cheyenne Parker, a forward coming out of Middle Tennessee State University. Dearica Hamby of Wake Forest was selected No. 6 overall by the San Antonio Stars. The Los Angeles Sparks selected the No. 7 pick, Crystal Bradford from Central Michigan. The University of Dayton’s shooting guard, Ally Malott, was selected eighth overall by the Washington Mystics. After a trade between the New York Liberty and San Antonio Stars, California’s all time record holder for steals and assist, Brittany Boyd was selected 9th overall by the Liberty. The Stars traded their 9th pick for Alex Montgomery, forward/guard of the New York Liberty. The Atlanta Dream selected Iowa’s shooting guard, Samantha Logic for the tenth overall pick. With a second trade of the night, the New York Liberty selected UConn’s center Kiah Stokes.

The Liberty traded its No. 16 and No. 35 draft picks along with Anna Cruz to the Minnesota Lynx. In return the Liberty acquired the No. 11, No. 23 and No. 28 selections.

New York Liberty guard Anna Cruz traded to Minnesota Lynx in exchange for the No. 11, No. 23 and No. 28 overall picks

Wrapping up the first round of the 2015 WNBA Draft with the No.12 overall pick, the defending champions, Phoenix Mercury, selected Isabelle Harrison from the University of Tennessee.

The final 24 draftees were selected in the second and third rounds of the 2015 WNBA Drafts. With a great mixture of raw and elite talent amongst the 2015 draft class, the WNBA was able to conduct another remarkable and memorable draft.

For a fun-filled conversation about the 2015 WNBA Draft, check out Naomi Grey's in-studio video.