Terps' twin towers taken in top 10

Two members of the Terrapin women's basketball team will be taking their talents to the WNBA.

Crystal Langhorne was taken sixth overall by the Washington Mystics in the 2008 WNBA Draft yesterday, and Laura Harper was taken with the tenth overall pick by the Sacramento Monarchs.

Langhorne and Harper are the first Terps who played for coach Brenda Frese to be selected in the first round.

"I'm so happy with this whole thing," Langhorne said. "I was so nervous [beforehand], I didn't know what was going to happen. It was like nothing I ever felt before."

Langhorne, the Terps' all-time leading scorer and rebounder, won't have to travel far to play her professional ball with the Mystics, where she will be teamed with former Duke stars Alana Beard and Monique Currie.

The Willingboro, N.J., native said she is thrilled to stay in the region.

"My family will be able to see me play, my college coaches, my teammates," Langhorne said. "I'm just so excited right now."

Harper, the Terps' all-time leader in blocked shots, will be headed out west where she will get a chance to play with former Tennessee star and current ESPN analyst Kara Lawson.

Langhorne and Harper were both in attendance Wednesday when their names were called at the draft held at the Innisbrook Resort and Golf Club in Palm Harbor, Fla.

Both had family members with them, and Frese and Terp assistant coach Erica Floyd were also there to offer support.

"It was a great feeling," Langhorne said. "I'm just trying to help another team get better."

The Mystics went 16-18 last season, failing to qualify for the playoffs. Beard led the team with 18.8 points per game. The Monarchs were a playoff team with a 19-15 record, only to be eliminated by San Antonio in the first round.

Tennessee's Candace Parker was selected first overall by the Los Angeles Sparks, while Sylvia Fowles from LSU, Candice Wiggins from Stanford, Alexis Hornbuckle from Tennessee and Matee Ajavon from Rutgers rounded out the top five.

The WNBA regular season begins next month.

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