Follow-up to my NBA/WNBA comparison -- here are some more numbers.

Assists per field goal:
NBA -- .608
WNBA -- .629

Two-point field goal percentage:
NBA -- 46.0
WNBA -- 43.8

Three-point field goal percentage:
NBA -- 34.7
WNBA -- 35.0

Free throw percentage:
NBA -- 75.2
WNBA -- 74.1

Field goal attempts per minute:
NBA -- 3.33
WNBA -- 2.91

The shorter shot clock in the NBA means about 14% more shot attempts per minute. That partly explains why there are more field goals and assists per minute.

In terms of field goal percentage, Phil notes that we can remove the dunk distortion by looking just at three-point percentage. There, the W does slightly better, although it's not an apples-to-apples comparison since the W's arc is a couple feet closer.

Free throw percentage is the purest comparison, since the distance is the same and defense doesn't matter. There, the W does slightly worse.

(All shooting percentages might be affected by the ball size, though there's some disagreement about whether the small ball is easier or harder to shoot.)

Putting this all together, it seems that men and women are about equal when it comes to shooting the basketball (with the guys perhaps slightly better). The men's 24-second clock produces more scoring, and the ability to dunk raises field goal percentage materially.

In terms of passing... a field goal in the W is slightly more likely to be assisted. But we are still left with the substantial turnover discrepancy -- the W has 17% more per minute.

I don't think the shot clock can explain that. A longer clock might mean more turnovers per possession, but it also means fewer possessions per game -- it shouldn't affect turnovers per game or minute. In fact, the shorter clock might produce more by causing more shot clock violations, which count as turnovers. The shorter backcourt count (eight seconds versus ten) might also.

Any ideas?