WASHINGTON, July 23 (Ticker) -- Alana Beard had a near-perfect night to end the Washington Mystics' slide.

Beard scored 23 points as the Mystics stopped a three-game losing streak with a 64-61 victory over the Minnesota Lynx.

NBA TV highlights from Mystics-Lynx: 56k | 300k

The second overall pick April's draft, Beard hit her first eight shots from the field. She finished 8-of-9 from the floor and made all seven of her free-throw attempts, including two with 71 seconds remaining.

Minnesota had a club-record six-game winning streak stopped. But the Lynx also lost Katie Smith, one of the league's top players, to a knee injury.

The third-leading scorer in the WNBA, Smith left with 11:09 remaining in the second half. She scored 19 points before leaving.

Chasity Melvin converted a layup with just under two minutes remaining, giving the Mystics the lead for good. She collected 11 points.

Washington superstar Chamique Holdsclaw had just nine points on 3-of-17 shooting.