Silver Stars-Mystics Preview

By MATT BECKER
Posted Jul 05 2012 11:18PM

An aggressive start last weekend helped the Washington Mystics produce their highest-scoring game of the season and win for the first time in two weeks.

In seeking their first back-to-back victories, the Mystics might try a similar strategy Friday against a San Antonio Silver Stars team that could be fatigued after an impressive comeback one night earlier.

The surging Silver Stars (9-5) arrive in the nation's capital after roaring back from an 18-point deficit to beat Indiana 88-72 on Thursday for their fifth straight win and seventh in eight games. Becky Hammon finished with 19 points, reserve Jia Perkins scored 17 and Sophia Young added 15 for San Antonio, which outscored the Fever 63-29 over the final 21:13.

"A little bit of grind and more assertiveness in the second half is what helped,'' said Hammon, who is averaging 21.3 points in her last three games - 4.9 above her season average.

The Silver Stars, who have averaged 89.6 points during their winning streak, now hope to avoid a letdown against a Mystics team that has been off since snapping a five-game skid with Sunday's 90-77 win over Phoenix.

A sluggish offense has been one of the reasons Washington (3-10) is in last place in the Eastern Conference, but it had no trouble piling up points against the Mercury's susceptible defense.

The Mystics shot 64.7 percent in the first quarter to build a 27-18 lead, marking the first time all season they led entering the second. Crystal Langhorne had a team-high 22 points on 9-of-12 shooting and Noelle Quinn scored a season-high 18 for Washington, which had averaged 15.6 first-quarter points during its skid.

The Mystics came in averaging a league-worst 67.7 points, and scored a season-best 50 by halftime

"First quarters and third quarters have been our Achilles heel and the starters did a great job,'' Quinn said. "We didn't have to play from behind, we didn't dig ourselves into a hole. We kept our lead, kept our aggression and just played together."

Quinn came off the bench for the first time all year and looked more comfortable in her reserve role. She had totaled one point in her previous two games.

"Anytime you win it's very calming,'' said Langhorne, who averages team highs of 16.5 points and 6.9 rebounds. "When you keep losing, it's stressful. To get this win, it's a good feeling.''

The Mystics were swept in last season's two-game series with the Silver Stars, with Hammon averaging 18.5 points.

Silver Stars top Mystics 78-73 for 6th win in row

Posted Jul 06 2012 10:20PM

WASHINGTON (AP) After playing her second road game in two nights, Sophia Young sprawled out on the floor of the visiting locker room, her legs covered by five ice packs.

Young played a big part in keeping the Silver Stars on a roll.

Young scored all 18 of her points in the second half and made her final eight field goal attempts and San Antonio defeated the Washington Mystics 78-73 on Friday night for their sixth straight victory.

Becky Hammon added 17 points for the Silver Stars (10-5), who have won three consecutive road games and six straight in Washington.

After missing her first three field goal attempts including her one in the second half, Young got hot during a 17-4 third-quarter run as the Silver Stars turned a tie score into a 55-42 lead.

``For the first half it was mostly about getting my teammates involved and they were doing a great job of finishing off shots,'' Young said. ``In the second half I just came out being more aggressive, just trying to take a little bit of charge.''

Young made six straight shots during the decisive stretch and her only two attempts in the fourth quarter.

Monique Currie led the Mystics (3-11) with 15 points.

``(Sophia) had a quiet first half,'' Currie said. ``I figured at halftime she wanted to come out and be aggressive, which she did.''

Entering the game as the league leader in assists, Hammon failed to register one in the first half, but the pace quickened and she tallied six after halftime.

``Right now we're just playing really well together,'' said Hammon, who also made 4 of 6 3-pointers. ``We're moving the ball. We had 20 assists on 30 field goals. That's really moving the ball.''

Washington, last in the WNBA's Eastern Conference, has lost six of seven games.

Trailing 76-63 with 1:01 remaining, the Mystics went on a 10-1 run, capped by Noelle Quinn's 3-pointer with 6.9 points left that pulled them closer at 77-73. Danielle Robinson made one of two free throws for the final margin and finished with 12 points.

Victorious in its previous outing against Phoenix, Washington has not won consecutive games since six straight to close the 2010 regular season.

``It's very frustrating. I'm not used to losing,'' said Michelle Snow, who scored 11 points. The 10-year veteran and free agent acquisition is 14 games into her Mystics career.

``You just want to scream, you want to blow up, you want to fight, whatever it takes to wake everybody up,'' Snow said. ``Honestly, a change is going to come. You can be part of that change here or you'll just be part of that rotation (leaving town). That's the way any job is.''

The Silver Stars arrived in Washington the hottest team in the WNBA and following a rousing 88-72 win at Indiana on Thursday after trailing by 18 points. Playing on consecutive nights could explain why the offensively potent team scored only 36 points in the first half and failed to score at least 82 points for the first time during the winning streak.

Both teams shot 50 percent from the field while struggling to maintain possession in a back-and-forth first half. The lead changed hands 11 times before San Antonio ended with a 36-34 lead. The Silver Stars committed 11 of their 19 turnovers before halftime, but made four 3-pointers and received half their scoring off the bench.

``I thought we were a little lethargic in the first and second quarter,'' Hammon said. ``Our bench came in and gave us a little lift. We wanted to fight through the fatigue, kind of put mind over matter, make a concerted look to play with more energy and get to the spots we wanted on the floor.''

Crystal Langhorne scored 13 points for Washington.

• Silver Stars: --
• Mystics: --

• Silver Stars: --
• Mystics: --

• Lead Changes: 11
• Times Tied: 7

• Arena: Verizon Center, Washington, DC
• Officials: #45 Tom Mauer, #7 Clarke Stevens, #35 Billy Smith
• Attendance: 6522
• Duration: 1:49