MINNEAPOLIS/ST. PAUL – The Minnesota Lynx tonight selected Kayla Jones and Hannah Sjerven in the 2022 WNBA Draft as the team’s 22nd and 28th overall picks, respectively. Yesterday, the Lynx traded their eighth and 13th overall picks to the Las Vegas Aces in exchange for the Ace’s 2023 first and second round picks.
Jones, a 6-1 forward, appeared in 139 career games (88 starts) for NC State, where she held career averages of 7.7 ppg, 5.3 rpg and 1.9 apg. She returned to the Wolfpack for the 2021-22 season after electing to use her extra season of eligibility, earning an All-ACC Second Team nod after averaging 8.7 points, 4.9 rebounds and 2.1 assists in 20.8 minutes per game. The Jamesville, NC native surpassed the 1,000-career point milestone during the Pack’s Feb. 27 road win at Virginia Tech, where she finished the contest with 12 points. Jones finished her 2020-21 senior campaign, ranked ninth in the ACC in rebounding (7.1 rpg) and was voted to All-ACC First Team. She wrapped up her NC State career ranked 11th in three-point percentage (.355), 14th in free throw percentage (.725) and 14th in total rebounds (734).
Sjerven, a Rogers, Minn. native, saw action in 126 career contests (92 starts) throughout four seasons at the University of South Dakota, registering career averages of 13.9 ppg, 7.5 rpg and 1.2 apg in 22.2 mpg. The 6-2 center produced her best season with South Dakota in 2020-21, where she collected career high averages of 17.1 ppg, 9.8 rpg, 1.7 apg in 26.5 mpg. Sjerven was named Summit League Defensive Player of the Year for three consecutive seasons (2019-20, 2020-21 and 2021-22) and stands as the Coyotes’ career blocks leader with 243. She was one of five finalists for the Becky Hammon Mid-Major Player of the Year for two seasons straight (2020-21 and 2021-22) and led the Summit League in two categories, including rebounds (9.8 rpg) and blocks (2.2 bpg) during 2020-21. This season, she also helped lead South Dakota to the NCAA Sweet 16 with a 20-point performance against Ole Miss and a 16-point performance against Baylor.
Minnesota has a two-game preseason schedule which opens with a trip to Washington on Wednesday, Apr. 27 at 10:30 a.m. CT and a home contest against Las Vegas at 1:00 p.m. CT at Target Center on Sunday, May 1.
