Beard scored 14 of her 22 points in the second half as the Washington Mystics posted a 91-79 victory over the San Antonio Silver Stars, whose losing streak reached six games.
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Silver Stars-Mystics: Play |
Led by Beard, the Mystics (17-15) avoided their third straight loss and tied a franchise record for wins in a season. Washington also won 17 games in 2002 and 2004.
Beard made 9-of-17 shots and handed out five assists. The All-Star is averaging 24.3 points in her last four games.
Chasity Melvin added 18 points and 11 rebounds for Washington, which will be the fourth seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs.
Washington, which improved to 12-4 at home, connected on a season-high 10 3-pointers and shot 58 percent (34-of-59).
DeLisha Milton-Jones scored seven points in the first quarter that ended with the Mystics holding a 20-15 lead. Laurie Koehn's 3-pointer with 3:33 left in the first half gave Washington a 40-28 bulge.
The Silver Stars closed to 51-42 with 6:43 left in the third quarter on a pair of free throws by All-Star Sophia Young. However, the Mystics used a 14-5 surge later in the period to take control for good.
Young scored 20 points and Shanna Zolman added 12 off the bench for the Silver Stars (12-20), who have lost seven straight road contests.
Next games: The Mystics host the Shock on Friday, while the Silver Stars host the Storm on Thursday.
