Erica Blackburn
The Washington Mystics ran into a brick wall against the Sun and lost 85-75
They ran into the #1 ranked Connecticut Sun, and promptly lost, 85-75, on Tuesday evening. Connecticut is currently in the midst of the longest winning streak for the franchise since 2006 with nine straight.
After a high-octane first quarter, the Sun went into the second quarter with the lead, 22–16. Washington stayed within striking distance, but Connecticut maintained a steady lead throughout the third. In the final five minutes of the period, the Sun went on a 17–5 run and essentially put the game out of reach.The Mystics have been outscored 261–227 in three games against the Sun this season.
With Tina Charles and Elena Delle Donne out for the foreseeable future, the Mystics have been struggling with finding consistent scoring. Washington shot 34.6% from the three and was dominated on the glass, 38-20. The Sun had a 46-24 advantage for points in the paint and 19-0 in second chance points.
Mystics guard Shatori Walker-Kimbrough had a team-high 17 points. Myisha Hines-Walker and Ariel Atkins had 16 points each. Natasha Cloud had a game-high 12 assists and 5 points.
As predicted, Sun forward Jonquel Jones came out of her slump and dropped 31 points and snagged 14 rebounds. She scored 21 of those points in the first half. Brionna Jones had 22 points and 10 rebounds. DeWanna Bonner had an off day, chipping in 7 points and 5 assists.
The Mystics are still one spot out of a playoff spot, and their next matchup is against a surging Minnesota Lynx squad. If they want to keep their championship hopes alive, somebody must step up to the plate and hold the fort down until their reinforcements return.
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