Shekinna Stricklen Wins 2019 WNBA All-Star 3-Point Contest

Connecticut Sun forward Shekinna Stricklen defeated Las Vegas Aces guard Kayla McBride 23-22 in the final of the 2019 WNBA Three-Point Contest on Friday.

McBride, the clear fan favorite in Vegas, finished runner-up for the second year in a row after Chicago Sky guard Allie Quigley edged her out in a tiebreaker during halftime of the 2018 WNBA All-Star Game.

ESPN Stats & Info noted Stricklen is the fourth player to have at least 20 points in each of the two rounds in the Three-Point Contest.

Quigley, the winner in each of the last two years, didn't make it out of the first round. She caught fire late in her turn but couldn't recover from a slow start. Even after hitting the money ball on her final rack, she was two points short of Stricklen, who advanced with a score of 21.

Quigley can still rest easy, knowing her record of 29 points in last year's final remains untouched.

Although she didn't make the All-Star Game, Stricklen is enjoying the spotlight in 2019 as the Sun are first in the WNBA at 13-6.

The eight-year veteran is averaging 8.9 points—her most since 2013—and shooting 39.1 percent from the perimeter. The Tennessee product is almost exclusively a three-point specialist, with 79.9 percent of her attempts being the long-range variety, per Basketball Reference.

The Sun won 21 games apiece in 2017 and 2018 but were unable to advance past the Phoenix Mercury in the second round in both years. Spacing the floor is one way to neutralize Brittney Griner—something the Seattle Storm did to great effect in the 2018 WNBA Semifinals.

Should Connecticut face off against Phoenix for a third straight season, Stricklen's shooting could prove pivotal for the postseason.