April 6, 2016
SAN DIEGO - Former San Diego State standout Chelsea Hopkins posted 20 points and 12 rebounds on Monday to lead her professional team Maccabi Ramat Hen to a 72-68 triumph over Maccabi Ashdod in game one of the Israeli D1 Women's Basketball League finals.
The 5-8 point guard, who fell just short of a triple-double with eight assists, drained 10 of 11 free throws, including two with 12 seconds left to help seal the victory in the best three-of-five series. Maccabi Ramat Hen trailed by two points at the end of the third quarter, 58-54, before outscoring the visitors 18-12 in the final frame. Game two is set for Thursday, April 7.
In 25 games so far this season, Hopkins has averaged 11.7 points and 7.5 rebounds to go with a league-best 6.6 assists. She is shooting 40.3 percent from the field (77-191) and has connected on 87.9 percent of her free-throw attempts (94-107).
Earlier in the semifinals against Ramat Hasharon, Hopkins averaged 12.7 points, 7.7 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 2.7 steals in three games, helping Maccabi Ramat Hen complete the sweep.
A two-year starter with the Aztecs after transferring from Duke University, Hopkins was named the 2013 Mountain West Conference Player of the Year and received honorable mention All-America recognition from the Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA), leading SDSU to a program-best 27-7 record and its second straight regular-season league title.
Hopkins, who topped the nation with four triple-doubles and finished seventh in assists during the 2012-13 campaign, also set an Aztec single-season record with 232 assists and finished her SDSU career with 442 helpers, which ranks fourth in school history. She played four games with the WNBA's San Antonio Silver Stars in 2013 and has participated in training camps with the Phoenix Mercury and New York Liberty in 2014 and 2015, respectively
Meanwhile, Hopkins' former Aztec teammate Courtney Clements signed a free-agent contract with the three-time WNBA champion Minnesota Lynx on March 30.
A 6-0 guard, Clements received honorable mention All-America recognition and first-team all-Mountain West accolades in her final two seasons at SDSU (2011-13), finishing with 1,495 points in an Aztec uniform, which ranks fifth in program history. In addition, she became the first SDSU player to capture MW Player of the Year honors in 2012 after leading the league in scoring with 17.4 points per game.
Clements originally signed a training camp contract with the Atlanta Dream in 2013, becoming the first Aztec to play for a WNBA title after helping her squad reach the championship finals that year against Minnesota.
Prior to the start of the 2014 campaign, Clements was traded to Chicago where she contributed to the team's Eastern Conference championship, appearing in 33 of the Sky's 34 games during the regular season. Late in the year, Clements earned her first professional start against San Antonio, scoring a career-high 17 points on 8-of-11 shooting in 38 minutes.
Clements was waived by Chicago prior to the 2015 season and signed as a free agent with the Los Angeles Sparks. She has averaged 2.4 points and 1.3 rebounds in 60 career games.