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A blog on UConn women's basketball.

Thursday, July 16, 2009

Taurasi suspended for two games

Former UConn star Diana Taurasi has been suspended for the Phoenix Mercury's next two games without pay as a result of her arrest on the suspicion of driving under the influence.

Officially, the suspension is for "conduct detrimental to the team."

Taurasi will miss Saturday's game against Detroit and the July 22 game against Minnesota, which happens to be the day Taurasi is due in court.

“I am deeply sorry and embarrassed for causing this distraction for my teammates, the Phoenix Mercury, the WNBA, family and fans," Taurasi said in a statement. "While I cannot say more with regards to the specifics of the case, I do want to make sure that everyone knows how much I appreciate their support and that I’ve learned a valuable lesson. I am committed to making sure a lot of good comes from this experience.”

Taurasi was arrested at around 2:30 a.m., a few hours after the Mercury played against the Seattle Storm. Police charge that she was driving about 20 miles over the speed limit and refused to take a breath test. She was given a blood test and police reported that her blood alcohol content was .17, more than twice the legal limit in the state of Arizona.

The WNBA released a statement saying:
"The WNBA supports the actions taken today by the Mercury and we don't believe further action by the league will be necessary."

Taurasi was not voted as a Western Conference starter for the WNBA All-State game which will be held on July 25 at Mohegan Sun Arena. Taurasi, the league's leading scorer, averaging 20.7 points per game. All-Star reserves have not been named.

Taurasi played at UConn from 2000-04 and led the Huskies to three consecutive national titles. She graduated as UConn's third all-time leading scorer and was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2004 WNBA draft by Phoenix.

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