Storm-Mystics Preview

By JEFF BARTL
Posted Jul 02 2011 5:18PM

Both plagued by injuries, the Seattle Storm and Washington Mystics are not performing like the contenders they were in 2010 going into their matchup Sunday night at Verizon Center.

The defending WNBA champion Storm (4-3) will play their third game without reigning MVP Lauren Jackson, who expects to miss up to 12 weeks after surgery to repair a torn labrum in her left hip. Without Jackson, Seattle misses an inside presence which was apparent in Friday's 75-70 loss to Connecticut.

Though Swin Cash led all scorers with 25 points, including 12 for 12 at the free-throw line, the Storm frontcourt couldn't compensate defensively for Jackson's absence as Sun center Tina Charles had 20 points and 10 rebounds. Seattle couldn't recover from a 12-point halftime deficit.

"We have a good group of people in that locker room who are great competitors," coach Brian Agler said. "But in this league, it doesn't matter if you have all your people or you're missing people. If you don't come out ready to play from the beginning, you're going to find yourself playing from behind."

Conversely, Washington (2-5) never trailed in its most recent game and defeated Tulsa 83-63 last Sunday, ending a four-game losing streak.

Crystal Langhorne scored 23 points and Nicky Anosike added 13 points and 10 rebounds.

"When you have four losses in a row, that can easily turn into five, six, seven," Anosike said. "I think we were just desperate and we played desperate."

The Mystics were the top seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs in 2010, but they're in last place this season due partly to the injury bug. A foot problem has kept Alana Beard from taking the court, and fellow star Monique Currie is out for the year after tearing her ACL while playing in Turkey during the offseason.

Langhorne is trying to make up for those absences, averaging a career-high 18.1 points, but she also leads the WNBA with 4.3 turnovers per game after committing 11 against Tulsa. Teammate Matee Ajavon averages 4.0 turnovers to rank second in the league but contributes 16.0 points per game - about double her career average - after scoring 21 last Sunday.

Washington coach Trudi Lacey believes her young team is improving. Aside from 10-year veteran Kelly Miller, no Mystics player has more than three years of experience, including four rookies.

"We have been growing up a little bit day by day," Lacey said. "I'm not a mother, but it is like raising children."

Washington has relied heavily on its starting lineup with the youthful bench averaging only 12.1 of the team's 77.3 points per game.

These teams split two meetings last season as Cash and Langhorne each averaged 14.5 points. The Storm have lost their last four visits to Washington.

Cash, Bird lift Mystics over Storm 73-63

Posted Jul 03 2011 6:28PM

WASHINGTON (AP) Swin Cash scored 19 points and Sue Bird added 17 as the Seattle Storm won in Washington for the first time since 2006, topping the Mystics 73-63 on Sunday.

Tanisha Wright also scored 17 points for the Storm (5-3), who took the lead for good late in the first quarter and were ahead 35-26 at halftime. After the Mystics got within 43-40 midway through the third quarter, Bird drilled a 3-pointer and scored eight points during a 14-4 run over the final 4:48 of the period to make it 57-44.

The Mystics (2-6), who played without leading scorer Crystal Langhorne (back pain), cut the lead to 61-56 on a 3-point play by Matee Ajavon with 3:20 remaining, but didn't get closer.

The Storm have won two of three without reigning WNBA MVP Lauren Jackson (left hip surgery), and the defending champions have won three of four overall.

Washington has its own injury woes as the Mystics were without Langhorne, who missed the first game of her four-year WNBA career. The Mystics' offense took the hit, producing a season-low 26 points in the first half. Washington shot 31.9 percent (22 for 69) overall.

Camille Little's basket to finish the first-quarter scoring put the Storm up 18-17, and Seattle finished the first half with a 7-0 run. The Mystics missed 15 of 16 shots in the second quarter and shot 25.8 percent (8 for 31) in the opening half.

Victoria Dunlap, the Mystics' first-round draft pick this year, replaced Langhorne in the starting lineup and led the team with 19 points. Ajavon scored 15 points and Nicky Anosike finished with 11 points and 10 rebounds for the Mystics, who have lost five of six.

The home team had won the previous eight games in the series.

• Storm: --
• Mystics: --

• Storm: --
• Mystics: --

• Lead Changes: 5
• Times Tied: 2

• Arena: Verizon Center, Washington, DC
• Officials: #8 Daryl Humphrey, #53 Jeff Smith, #9 Denise Brooks
• Attendance: 11604
• Duration: 1:52