Ruthy Hebard
Taking advantage of extended playing time, Ruthy Hebard of Fairbanks made some things happen for the Chicago Sky.
She also made Alaska basketball history.
The 24-year-old forward grabbed five rebounds to match Jessica Moore’s record for most rebounds in a WNBA playoff game by player from Alaska.
Hebard, who didn’t play in Game 1, logged 10 minutes in Game 2 and furnished two points, five rebounds and two steals in Chicago’s 100-62 victory over the New York Liberty to even the best-of-3 series.
Moore, of Palmer, twice grabbed five rebounds in a game during the 2006 playoffs with the Los Angeles Sparks.
Sixteen years ago, the former UConn player had five boards in back-to-back playoff games – first against Seattle in a decisive Game 3 and then against Sacramento in Game 1 of the WNBA semifinals.
The feeling is mutual. Always cheering for you! #Alaskamade https://t.co/2YQER3TiSJ
— Jessica Moore (@JessMoore31) July 11, 2022
Moore played nine seasons in the WNBA between 2005 and 2013, logging a state record 222 games.
Maybe her most impressive record is for playoff games, with her 26 appearances being nearly three times more than the rest of the players from Alaska (Hebard 7, Kelsey Griffin 3) combined.
The 6-foot-3 Moore and 6-foot-4 Hebard are towering figures for AK hoops – two super successful high school and college players who went on to play in the WNBA and post 30-point scoring games overseas.
They are also the only two Alaskans to play in the WNBA Finals, with Moore going in 2009 with Indiana and Hebard winning the title with Chicago in 2021.
Hebard is in her third season out of the Oregon, where she was a four-time All-Pac-12 player.
In May, she became the fastest among the five Alaskans to play in the WNBA to reach the 300-point plateau, doing it in 53 games to shatter the previous state record of 81 games set by Griffin in 2012. Moore did it in 85 games.