MYSTICS NOTES

• The Washington Mystics are now 7-5 after an 88-60 win against the visiting Chicago Sky (3-8). Washington has now won five consecutive games in the series between the two teams.
• After holding a close 26-25 lead with 8:09 remaining in the second quarter, the Mystics outscored the Sky 20-7 through the rest of the quarter en route to a 60-28 run stretching through the midway point of the fourth quarter.
  • Washington outscored Chicago 21-11 in the second quarter, and now hold a 21.7-17.3 average advantage in the second quarter this season. It also marked the eighth time this season the Mystics have allowed fewer than 20 points in the second quarter, they are 6-2 in those games.
• The Mystics received a big boost from their bench, who provided 40 points, outscoring the Sky’s bench by six.
• Washington recorded a season-high 26 assists, with Kristi Toliver’s eight and Natasha Cloud’s six leading the way.
• The Mystics also had a season-high 15 offensive rebounds, leading to 15 second chance points.
• Washington held Chicago to just 29.7 percent shooting (19-64) from the field, the lowest by a Mystics’ opponent this season.
• Washington held Chicago’s starters to 26 points on 9-31 shooting (.290) from the field. The Mystics’ starters recorded 48 points on 18-38 shooting (.474) and finished with a combined +126 rating on the night.
• Washington had just 14 turnovers, leading to just 10 Chicago points, while forcing 18 Chicago turnovers leading to 28 points.
• Kristi Toliver went 7-of-15 from the field, tallying 19 points and eight assists to lead the Mystics in both categories.
• Tayler Hill made her season debut, scoring six points after entering the game with 8:27 remaining in the fourth quarter. It was Hill’s first appearance since tearing her ACL on July 14 last season.
• Elena Delle Donne had 14 points, seven rebounds and four blocks on the night, and now has eight blocks over the course of the last four games.
• Ariel Atkins had three steals on the night, her second consecutive game with three steals. Atkins now ranks second among rookies in total steals with 17, which is also tied for the fifth-most in the league.
• Cheyenne Parker (18) and Kahleah Copper (13) each came off the bench to lead the Sky in scoring.

MYSTICS HEAD COACH MIKE THIBAULT

Overall thoughts on the game:

“We were a step behind defensively the whole first half and that carried over to our offense as we were taking it out on the net too many times. They kind of had their way with us. Our defense has got to get back on solid ground before we start this next stretch of games. It wasn’t good tonight. L.A. is really good. They made some tough shots, and made some three’s early, but we helped them.”

On tighter defense in the second half:

“I don’t know if it was greatly tighter, but it was better than the first half and we weren’t having to take it out on the net the whole time. I don’t think it was great in the second half. They still got the ball to where they wanted to get it a lot of times. I thought our offense was better in the second half. We scored 52 points in the second half, but I’m disappointed in how we played defense tonight and how we played defense in the second half in Connecticut. It [hasn’t been] great for about five and a half quarters now.”

MYSTICS GUARD TAYLER HILL

On returning after almost a year out for injury:

“It was an emotional day but it felt good. I have so many great supporters. Between my teammates, my coaches, fans, my family, my best friends. They’re so great. Through this whole process — ten months post-surgery, almost a year since I tore it but through this whole process — they’ve been my rock. They’ve pushed me through the days I wanted to quit.”

On the mental process of coming back:

“Any injury that requires surgery and sitting out and coming back is definitely mental, then more physical. Because you know you can get up and do the physical part, but the mental thing is tough because it teaches you perseverance, it teaches you patience with yourself and it also lets you know that you can do it and have a different level of confidence in yourself.”

On how it playing tonight:  

“Just how much support. This is a long process and it wasn’t like right when I got hurt that was the only support I got. Through this whole year, or ten, eleven months, it’s been support every day. It’s been a daily support thing. Like I said, they just pushed me through the days that I felt like I couldn’t get through. My teammates were so hype tonight. They were just genuinely excited.”

MYSTICS GUARD NATASHA CLOUD

On Tayler Hill coming back:

“It’s huge. You know, we’re teammates but this is a family. Between me, her, Maurice (Tayler Hill’s son), and Tierra [Ruffin-Pratt], this is a family. So for me, been with her since July 10, 2017 of when it happened. Being through these ten months with her and really watch her just work very hard to get back to this point. I’ve watched her strength, her perseverance, her restlessness and getting to the point that she’s in today. I wrote her a little note before the game because I know there’s a lot of emotions that comes with today — nervousness, excitement, there might be a little frustration. Normal human nature. So for her to know that, ‘Hey, you’re anchors are still here for you. We’re still holding you down. We support you.’ It’s huge but my thing to her was to embrace all these emotions because you have worked for 11 months for this very moment. To be back on the court, the standing ovation that she got. You know, the shirt, I’ve been saying comeback kid since July 10. I’m just extremely proud of her.”

On if she’s ever gone through a similar injury:

“I have not. I have not but to be there and see it firsthand with someone that you truly care about. I mean it hit, obviously, I’m not going through, but it hit you.”

MYSTICS LEADERS:
Points: Kristi Toliver – 19
Rebounds: Elena Delle Donne – 7

Assists: Toliver – 8
Steals: Ariel Atkins – 3

SKY HEAD COACH AMBER STOCKS

On what the Mystics were able to do to disrupt them:

“We have some really talented basketball players, some very skilled players who did not hit some shots today. We have to stick to our plan and stay within our rhythm, stay within the flow of our offense, and work together to get our scorers to score.”

On Cheyenne Parker:

“Cheyenne Parker is a team player, she is a hard worker, she has a very competitive mindset and how you see her play in games, is how she practices every day. She goes that hard in practice with the team and the individual time that puts in on her own.”

On what they need to improve on:

“Score. We need to increase our field goal percentage as well as our shots on goal, and that will happen when we decrease the turnovers.”

SKY FORWARD CHEYENNE PARKER

On the game:  

“They just had more energy. They played together. We struggled with getting defensive stops in a row. They capitalized every time we turned the ball over and that really hurt us. We just struggled scoring. Our leading scorer struggled and that hurt us a lot.”

On what she was able to take advantage of:

“I was just trying to stay aggressive and kind of get my teammates going by being the aggressor. I went up after every [offensive rebound], so the points just kind of came from staying aggressive.”

On looking to next game:

“Our biggest thing is our energy, staying together and playing as a team and getting our flow together as a team and getting some points on the board.”

SKY FORWARD KAHLEAH COPPER

On playing against your old team:

“It’s cool. It’s always great to be back. I miss my teammates and I miss the coaches and the staff. They were all great people. It’s cool to come back and compete against them.”

On her game:

“I was just going out there and trying to do anything I could to help my team win, nothing spectacular, just doing what I do.”

On looking to the next game:

“We are just going to focus on the individual things that each and every person has to do in order to make our team better. I think that can help us elevate to the next level, every individual focusing on what they need to do in order to maximize our performance as a team.”

SKY LEADERS:
Points: Cheyenne Parker – 18
Rebounds: Parker – 9

Assists: Courtney Vandersloot – 6
Steals: Linnae Harper – 2