The New York Liberty will need to improve their play on the road in the final weeks of the season if they want to remain in the Eastern Conference playoff race.
New York looks to avoid a fifth straight loss away from home when it meets the Houston Comets on Tuesday.
The Liberty (11-16) lost 80-68 at Washington on Friday for their eighth defeat in nine games overall, and fell one game behind the Mystics for the fourth and final playoff spot in the East.
Things won't get any easier against the Comets (10-18), who despite struggling this season will look for a fifth straight win over the Liberty.
Poor road play is one reason New York - which started 5-0 - is forced to compete with Washington and Chicago for a postseason berth. The Liberty are a conference-worst 4-9 on the road and haven't won away from Madison Square Garden since an 82-81 overtime victory at first-place Detroit on July 6.
Friday was the first of three straight road games for the Liberty, who will play four of their final seven away from home, including trips to Chicago and Washington for consecutive games next week.
New York went 0-4 on the road during a miserable July when it was 2-8 and lost seven in a row.
"You can't really dwell on (the losses)," third-year forward Cathrine Kraayeveld said. "There's nothing we can do about those games. We have to stay focused on the moment and each game now."
Janel McCarville had 15 points Friday as the Liberty scored below their league-worst 70.2 average for the third time in their last four contests.
Kraayeveld, who's averaging a team-leading 10.9 points, was held to seven after scoring 16 in a 71-66 win over Minnesota on Thursday. She scored a season-high 31 points in an 80-74 loss to Houston on July 20 in the teams' first meeting.
New York won 68-65 on the road on July 12, 2005 for its last victory over the Comets.
Houston (10-18) beat lowly Minnesota 80-77 on Saturday and will try to win three consecutive games for the first time this season.
The Comets, who clinched just the second losing season in their 11-year history, are 3 1/2 games behind Seattle for the fourth and final playoff spot in the West with six games remaining.
Tina Thompson scored 14 of her 26 points in the fourth quarter and added 10 rebounds Saturday for the Comets, who are 10-8 since losing 10 straight to open the season. Thompson is averaging 17.9 points, but finally topped her average Saturday after posting 13.0 in her previous three games.
The veteran forward also scored 26 against the Liberty last month.
