| 2001 Sacramento Monarchs season | |
|---|---|
| Coach | Maura McHugh |
| Arena | ARCO Arena |
| Attendance | 8,350 per game |
| Results | |
| Record | 20–12 (.625) |
| Place | 2nd (Western) |
| Playoff finish | Lost Conference Finals (2-1) to Los Angeles Sparks |
| Media | |
| Television | KMAX (UPN 31) |
The 2001 WNBA season was the 5th season for the Sacramento Monarchs. The team won their first playoff series, but they were later defeated by eventual champion Los Angeles Sparks in the conference finals.
Offseason
WNBA draft
| Round | Pick | Player | Nationality | College/School/Team |
| 2 | 30 | Jackie Moore (C) | 
United States |
Long Beach State |
| 3 | 46 | Maren Walseth (F) |
United States |
Penn State |
| 4 | 62 | Katie Smrcka-Duffy (G) |
United States |
Georgetown |
Regular season
Season standings
| Western Conference | W | L | PCT | Conf. | GB |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles Sparks x | 28 | 4 | .875 | 19–2 | – |
| Sacramento Monarchs x | 20 | 12 | .625 | 13–8 | 8.0 |
| Utah Starzz x | 19 | 13 | .594 | 11–10 | 9.0 |
| Houston Comets x | 19 | 13 | .594 | 13–8 | 9.0 |
| Phoenix Mercury o | 13 | 19 | .406 | 8–13 | 15.0 |
| Minnesota Lynx o | 12 | 20 | .375 | 9–12 | 16.0 |
| Portland Fire o | 11 | 21 | .344 | 5–16 | 17.0 |
| Seattle Storm o | 10 | 22 | .313 | 6–15 | 18.0 |
Season schedule
| Date | Opponent | Score | Result | Record |
| June 2 | Cleveland | 70-65 | Win | 1-0 |
| June 4 | @ New York | 80-63 | Win | 2-0 |
| June 5 | @ Washington | 72-75 | Loss | 2-1 |
| June 7 | Charlotte | 77-65 | Win | 3-1 |
| June 9 | Miami | 67-71 | Loss | 3-2 |
| June 12 | @ Phoenix | 64-78 | Loss | 3-3 |
| June 14 | Phoenix | 81-59 | Win | 4-3 |
| June 16 | Portland | 74-81 (OT) | Loss | 4-4 |
| June 19 | New York | 56-65 | Loss | 4-5 |
| June 21 | @ Utah | 87-75 | Win | 5-5 |
| June 23 | @ Houston | 56-70 | Loss | 5-6 |
| June 24 | @ Charlotte | 85-82 (OT) | Win | 6-6 |
| June 28 | Houston | 64-54 | Win | 7-6 |
| June 30 | @ Seattle | 65-59 | Win | 8-6 |
| July 3 | @ Minnesota | 91-52 | Win | 9-6 |
| July 6 | @ Orlando | 75-68 | Win | 10-6 |
| July 7 | @ Miami | 54-66 | Loss | 10-7 |
| July 10 | Houston | 78-76 (OT) | Win | 11-7 |
| July 12 | Utah | 69-67 | Win | 12-7 |
| July 14 | @ Utah | 57-69 | Loss | 12-8 |
| July 19 | Los Angeles | 68-83 | Loss | 12-9 |
| July 21 | Detroit | 66-52 | Win | 13-9 |
| July 25 | @ Los Angeles | 78-80 | Loss | 13-10 |
| July 27 | Portland | 85-62 | Win | 14-10 |
| July 29 | Phoenix | 63-47 | Win | 15-10 |
| August 2 | @ Los Angeles | 62-67 | Loss | 15-11 |
| August 3 | Indiana | 81-69 | Win | 16-11 |
| August 5 | @ Minnesota | 76-79 (OT) | Loss | 16-12 |
| August 7 | Minnesota | 76-59 | Win | 17-12 |
| August 11 | Seattle | 81-61 | Win | 18-12 |
| August 12 | @ Portland | 64-58 | Win | 19-12 |
| August 14 | @ Seattle | 72-62 | Win | 20-12 |
Playoffs
| Game | Date | Opponent | Score | Result | Record |
| Western Conference Semifinals | |||||
| 1 | August 17 | @ Utah | 89-65 | Win | 1-0 |
| 2 | August 19 | Utah | 71-66 | Win | 2-0 |
| Western Conference Finals | |||||
| 1 | August 24 | Los Angeles | 73-74 | Loss | 2-1 |
| 2 | August 26 | @ Los Angeles | 80-60 | Win | 3-1 |
| 3 | August 27 | @ Los Angeles | 62-93 | Loss | 3-2 |
Player stats
| Player | GP | REB | AST | STL | BLK | PTS |
| Yolanda Griffith | 32 | 357 | 54 | 63 | 37 | 518 |
| Tangela Smith | 32 | 179 | 41 | 34 | 55 | 358 |
| Kedra Holland-Corn | 32 | 75 | 69 | 56 | 5 | 322 |
| Edna Campbell | 32 | 85 | 74 | 19 | 9 | 260 |
| Ruthie Bolton | 31 | 93 | 55 | 28 | 1 | 222 |
| Kara Wolters | 31 | 74 | 17 | 4 | 25 | 151 |
| Ticha Penicheiro | 23 | 86 | 172 | 40 | 8 | 144 |
| Lady Grooms | 31 | 78 | 38 | 15 | 10 | 141 |
| La'Keshia Frett | 30 | 55 | 18 | 10 | 6 | 128 |
| Cindy Blodgett | 11 | 9 | 6 | 6 | 1 | 34 |
| Stacy Clinesmith | 16 | 3 | 14 | 1 | 0 | 10 |
| Maren Walseth | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| Dana Wynne | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 |