In 2003, the Phoenix Mercury had four draft picks. They finished the 2002 season with a record of 11-21, and they wanted to recover from that period. However, that did not happen, and the Mercury had an even tougher year after that.
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Phoenix finished the 2003 season with a record of 8-26, and that led to something special. Before all of that, the Mercury drafted talented players, and some of them played during the 2003 season. In some instances, players were drafted, but they did not suit up for the team.
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Telisha Quarles fell in that category, and before she was drafted, she attended Virginia. Quarles played well during that time, and in her final season, she averaged 15.7 points, 3.3 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.8 steals.
Virginia faced Iowa in that year’s tournament, and Quarles and her teammates lost that game. Iowa picked up a 69-62 win, and Quarles put up a fight. She had 17 points, two rebounds and two steals.
Quarles leads her team in scoring
Quarles was one of two players who scored in double figures, as Anna Crosswhite had 12 points. Virginia’s run was cut short, and that also happened the previous season. The Cavaliers faced Michigan that year, and the Wolverines beat them in overtime.
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Once again, Quarles had a nice game, as she finished with 19 points, four steals, three assists, three rebounds and a block. She was one of three players who scored in double figures, as Schuye LaRue had 24 points. LaRue also had 11 rebounds, three assists, three steals and a block. Then, Marcie Dickson had 14 points, six assists and a block.
When it comes to the season, Quarles averaged 11.6 points, 2.6 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.8 steals. In her second season, she averaged 12.4 points, 2.9 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 1.7 steals. That was a good year for Virginia, as they reached the Sweet 16.
Quarles and her teammates faced Pepperdine, and they came out victorious. They beat Pepperdine 74-62, and Quarles had 18 points, four rebounds, an assist and a steal. Virginia faced Boston College in the next round, and the starting guard’s 24 points put her team over the top. Then, in a game against Tennessee, she had nine points.
While she did not play for Phoenix, Quarles proved time after time that she was talented. She was a good choice, and if the timing was right, she may have played for the Mercury.
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