Mystics Late Comeback Falls Short In Phoenix (5-23-24)
By: Jaden Golding
Headline Photo Credit: WNBA
Phoenix, AZ- The Washington Mystics dropped their fifth straight loss to begin the season, still searching for their first win after losing to the Phoenix Mercury last night 83-80.
At halftime, Washington (0-5) only trailed Phoenix (3-1) 43-40 after a back-and-forth first half that saw multiple lead changes by both squads. The Mercury were led by Kahleah Copper who scored 16 points in the first half alone. Shakira Austin hit a pair of early free throws in the third quarter, giving Washington a 46-45 lead with 8:32 remaining. Over the next four-and-a-half minutes, Phoenix scored 15 unanswered points to take a fourteen-point lead at the 3:05 mark. Shatori Walker-Kimbrough went on an eight-point run of her own to pull the Mystics within four. But the Mercury responded by outscoring Washington 10-2 to increase its lead back to 70-56 heading into the fourth quarter.
Washington had its second unit to start the fourth outside of Karlie Samuelson. Head Coach Eric Thibault said when speaking to the media postgame “They played hard. Jade gave us good minutes. Didi gave us good minutes. The ball didn’t go down necessarily as much as we liked. Thought they played with the energy that we had been lacking, it turned the game around.”
Washington’s bench helped cut the Mercury lead down to single digits in the fourth. They would cut the lead down to as low as three but it would be too late as Phoenix continually answered the Mystics’ runs with key shots down the stretch. Copper finished with 20 as well as star Diana Taurasi to lead Phoenix to its third-straight victory. Natasha Cloud dropped a 14-point, ten-rebound double-double in her first game against her former team after signing with Phoenix this past offseason. Cloud talked about her emotions playing Washington ” I was locked in, I had this look in my eye like I’m about to run through a wall. Obviously this meant a lot to me. I was let go in the offseason and I found a home here,” said Cloud when speaking about going from DC to Phoenix.
Julie Vanloo had an efficient shooting night scoring 15 points hitting five three-pointers for Washington. Ariel Atkins led in scoring dropping 16 points and Walker-Kimbrough provided 11 points, five rebounds, three assists, two steals, and a block in 27 minutes off the bench.
Atkins talked about how to improve Washington’s offensive struggles in certain moments of the games early on this season stating “It’s honestly really simple stuff. I mean we’re not losing by forty, we’re losing by three, we’re losing by five, we’re losing one-possession games. To me that’s the frustrating part, to lose by one possession games that’s tough.”
Brittney Sykes missed her third straight contest with a left ankle injury. The Mystics head to Seattle on Saturday looking to earn its first win of the season.
