The Connecticut Sun inadvertently damaged Washington's playoff hopes in their last game. On Sunday, they'll try to eliminate the Mystics from postseason contention.
Needing a win and some help to reach the playoffs, the Mystics take the court in Connecticut for their regular-season finale.
Washington (15-18) recovered impressively from an 0-8 start to the season, winning 14 of its next 21 games, but has since dropped three of four. The Mystics had a chance to clinch the fourth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference on Thursday night at home, but fell 73-72 to the New York Liberty on two free throws by Janel McCarville with 9.8 seconds remaining.
"We know that we gave a huge opportunity away tonight and a lot of us probably won't sleep well tonight," said DeLisha Milton-Jones, who led Washington with 21 points while playing all 40 minutes.
On Friday night, New York gained the inside track for the East's final berth by beating the Sun 74-66 at Madison Square Garden. The Liberty and Mystics now have identical records, but New York owns the tiebreaker over Washington by virtue of winning three of four games in the season series.
Whichever team earns the final playoff spot will face league-best Detroit in the first round.
The Mystics, who have won two of their three meetings with Connecticut (18-15) this season, must defeat the Sun in this contest and hope the Liberty lose at home to the last-place Chicago Sky later Sunday afternoon.
"I been saying it all year long, it is going to come down to the last game of the season," said Washington's Alana Beard, who scored 19 points in Thursday's loss. "The three years I have been here we have never beat Connecticut and this year we have their number."
Beard led the Mystics with 28 points on Tuesday, when Washington beat the Sun 65-64 at home. She scored 20 in Washington's previous visit to Connecticut this season, a 91-75 Mystics win on June 26.
With just an 8-8 mark at Mohegan Sun Arena, the Sun own the worst home record of any team with a winning overall record. However, the Mystics expect a tough environment Sunday.
"There will be an arena full of people who want to see us fail and we're going to be the only ones in that building who want us to succeed," Milton-Jones said. "We are going to have put our backs together and go out swinging.''
Friday night's loss ensured Connecticut will finish third in the East, and open the playoffs Thursday against No. 2 seed Indiana. Katie Douglas had 22 points and Lindsay Whalen added 19 for the Sun, who couldn't gain the lead after allowing New York to score the game's first 14 points.
"We recovered from the bad start, but it is obviously not our strategy to come out and get down (14-0)," Douglas said. "We were neck-to-neck in the second quarter ... but it is tough to come back when they are playing with so much on the line."
Connecticut has alternated wins and losses in its last six games.
