Lynx guard Harding out for season

The 5-foot-8 Harding suffered the injury in the third quarter of Tuesday night’s game against the Washington Mystics. She will need surgery to repair the ligament at a later date.

"It is extremely upsetting to see my first season in the WNBA end this way," Harding said. "I would definitely like to thank all of the Lynx fans for all of their support. One thing you can count on from me is that I will work as hard as I can to rehab my knee, and I will definitely be back next season better than ever."

Harding, the first overall pick of the 2007 WNBA Draft, leads all rookies in scoring with 11.7 points per game and assists with 3.9 per game. She is also second among rookies with 4.4 rebounds per game and third with 1.0 steals per game.

"We are incredibly disappointed for Lindsey, who was well on her way to contending for the 2007 WNBA Rookie of the Year award," Lynx head coach Don Zierden said. "Lindsey’s fearless and competitive approach to the game is exactly the way she will attack her rehabilitation. We are confident she will return to the Lynx in top form next season. However, her teammates have not given up on the season. We still have 14 games left in the regular season and we will continue to work hard to bring excitement to the court every night."

The Duke product will need six to nine months of rehabilitation, but she’s expected be healthy and ready for training camp in April 2008.