NEW YORK – Tina Charles of the New York Liberty and Maya Moore of the Minnesota Lynx were named the WNBA’s Eastern and Western Conference Players of the Week, respectively, for games played July 13 through July 19.

Charles, who was selected to start for the Eastern Conference in Boost Mobile WNBA All-Star 2015 on Saturday at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn. (3:30 p.m., ABC), earned her first Player of the Week honor of the year and the 13^th of her career.

Now in her second season playing with her hometown team, the four-time All-Star led New York to a 3-0 record as the Liberty improved to 10-5 (.667) and took over the top spot in the East after home wins over the San Antonio Stars and Connecticut Sun, and a road victory over the Phoenix Mercury.

The sixth-year pro and 2012 WNBA MVP presented by Samsung shared the Eastern Conference lead in rebounding (10.7 rpg) and tied for second among East players in scoring (18.0 ppg).  Charles, a University of Connecticut product, opened the week with 14 points, six rebounds, and two blocks as the Liberty defeated San Antonio, 84-68, on July 15.  She then posted 22 points and 12 rebounds in a 64-57 win over conference rival Connecticut on July 16, and capped her week with 18 points and 14 boards in a 75-73 victory at Phoenix on July 18 that snapped the Mercury’s six-game winning streak.

Moore, who was picked to start for the Western Conference in Boost Mobile WNBA All-Star 2015, received her second Player of the Week honor of the season and the 12^th of her career.  The 2014 WNBA MVP presented by Samsung helped Minnesota improve to a league-best 12-3 behind a 3-0 week that included victories over the Eastern Conference’s top two teams (Connecticut and the Chicago Sky) and the No. 2 team in the West (Tulsa Shock).  The fifth-year player from UConn paced the WNBA in scoring (29.0 ppg), in addition to ranking second among West players in assists (4.7 apg), tied for second in rebounds (8.0 rpg), third in three-point field goal percentage (.526, 10-of-19), and fifth in field goal percentage (.534, 31-of-58).  Moore also ranked in the top 10 in the West in free throw shooting (.938, 15-of-16) and steals and blocks (1.67 per game in each category).

Moore opened the week with 26 points, seven rebounds, five assists, and two blocks in an 85-79 road win over the then Eastern Conference-leading Sun on July 14.  She followed that up with 29 points, seven rebounds, four assists, and three steals in an 84-66 win over visiting Chicago, then the top club in the East, on July 17.  Moore closed her week by scoring a season-high 32 points and adding 10 rebounds, five assists, and two steals in a 79-72 victory at Tulsa on July 19.  The 32-point effort featured a franchise record of 30 points in the second half as she became just the 10^th player in WNBA history to collect 30-plus points, 10 or more rebounds, and at least five assists in a game.

Other candidates for the Eastern and Western Conference Players of the Week were the Atlanta Dream’s Angel McCoughtry, Chicago’s Elena Delle Donne, Phoenix’s Brittney Griner, San Antonio’s Sophia Young-Malcolm, the Seattle Storm’s Crystal Langhorne, and the Washington Mystics’ Stefanie Dolson.

For more information on this week’s Players of the Week, visit www.wnba.com/awards.

2015 WNBA PLAYERS OF THE WEEK

Week Ending    East Player                    Team                West Player                Team

6/14/15              Elena Delle Donne          Chicago            DeWanna Bonner       Phoenix

6/21/15              Elena Delle Donne          Chicago            Skylar Diggins             Tulsa

6/28/15              Elena Delle Donne          Chicago            Lindsay Whalen          Minnesota

7/5/15                Tamika Catchings           Indiana             Nneka Ogwumike        Los Angeles

7/12/15              Cappie Pondexter           Chicago            Maya Moore                Minnesota

7/19/15              Tina Charles                   New York          Maya Moore                Minnesota