If only the Atlanta Dream could play the Washington Mystics every time they took the court. Atlanta defeated Washington handily for the second time in as many weeks at Philips Arena in a 72-65 victory, raising their record to 5-6 on the year.
Chamique Holdsclaw lead all scorers with 18 points, but it was a strong push from the backups that put Washington away in the second and third quarters. With key cogs Holdsclaw and Sancho Lyttle both in foul trouble throughout the game, and fellow starters Erika DeSouza and Izzy Castro Marques struggling, the backups held the Mystics to just 27 points in the second and third quarters as the lead ballooned.
The Mystics made a late push, pulling within ten points on a trey from Matee Ajavon with 1:51 remaining, and closed the gap to 70-62 moments later when Atlanta turned the ball over in the backcourt, leading to a Kristin Mann layup.
The Mystics had a chance to get even closer after getting a stop defensively after Angel McCoughtry came up short on a pull up jumper. But they turned the ball over on the ensuing possession, which proved to be a fitting end to the Mystics’ comeback, as they turned the ball over a whopping 28 times on the evening.
“We’ve been in a little bit of a defensive slump where we’ve been back on our heels a lot but tonight I thought we stepped up,” said Head Coach Marynell Meadors.
Atlanta distanced themselves from the visitors in the third quarter, holding Washington to just one point in over three minutes of play throughout the middle of the stanza. The effort continued into the fourth, as Washington failed to score until 5:18 remained in the game while Atlanta increased their lead to 64-47.
McCoughtry was a key element in the bench’s effort. While her teammates held it down on the defensive end, she kicked her game up a notch on offense. The rookie dropped 14 points in the final three quarters on 6-12 shooting.
“I’ve always been confident,” said McCoughtry, “It’s all about getting more minutes.”
Early in the fourth quarter, she made perhaps the defining play of the game, stealing a pass at midcourt and driving the length of the floor for a breakaway layup to extend the lead to 60-47.
“The more she plays, the better she gets,” Meadors said.
Lyttle finished with 16 points and five steals, but played just 15 minutes due to foul trouble. Second-stringers McCoughtry, Michelle Snow, and Jennifer Lacy all played over 22 minutes, more than three of the five Atlanta starters.
Alana Beard lead the Mystics with 16 points, but was held in check after a quick start to the game. Julie Plank’s team added to their offensive woes by shooting just 39% for the game. Washington now sits at 5-4 after a 3-0 start to the season.
“They were pressured a little bit and really collapsed in the pain,” said Plank, “We have to go inside-and-out and I think we need to move the ball a little bit beter than we did tonight.”
With the win, the Dream eclipsed their win total from the inaugural season, and moved to within one game of .500. They hit the hardwood again on Sunday on the road against the Indiana Fever.
Bagriansky can be reached at jbagriansky@scoreatl.com.
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