MYSTICS NOTES

• The Washington Mystics are now 6-5 after a 97-86 loss to the Los Angeles Sparks (7-2)
• Five Mystics players scored in double figures with forward Elena Delle Donne leading the team with 18 points, shooting 7-of-14 from the field, 3-of-6 from three-point range, and 1-of-2 from the free throw line
• Center LaToya Sanders posted her first double-double of the season with 12 points and a game-high 11 rebounds
• Forward Ariel Atkins and guard Natasha Cloud added 10 points apiece while forward Tierra Ruffin-Pratt added 14 points from off the bench
• After trailing 52-34 at the half, the Mystics outscored the Sparks 28-20 in the third quarter bringing the game within 10
• The Mystics opened the fourth quarter on a 6-0 run, bringing the score to 72-68. The game featured just one tie 76-76 after a layup from Ruffin-Pratt with 5:58 left in the fourth
• Sparks forward Alana Beard who was scoreless in the first three quarters, scored 10 points in the fourth which helped the Sparks regain the lead
• The Sparks were led by center Candace Parker who led all scorers with 23 points, shooting 6-of-11 from the field, 2-of-3 from three-point range, and a perfect 9-of-9 from the free throw line. Parker also led the team in rebounds (7) and assists (11)
• All starters for the Sparks scored in double figures including Parker (Odyssey Sims – 16; Chelsea Gray – 13; Nneka Ogwumike – 11; Alana Beard – 10). Guard Riquna Williams added 16 points from off the bench
• The Mystics return to action on Tuesday, June 19 to face the Chicago Sky

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 FORWARD ELENA DELLE DONNE

On the Mystics defense:

“I don’t know. If I had the answers, you know, I’d be able to translate it and give it to the team and we’d be able to play a really solid 40 minutes. Unfortunately, right now, these past two games, we’ve played great 20 minutes and that’s not enough against any team in this league. Everybody is just too good, so we have to figure out a way to play with the same intensity 40 minutes.”

On how tough it is when Kristi Toliver is double-teamed:

“We [have] to find a way to get her open and get her free. It’s too hard on her. It’s hard on us. Kristi gets us going, so when people draped on her we [have] to find a way to get her open. Hopefully, we’ll put some things in the next couple of days because obviously, teams are going to do that. She’s one of the best shooters in the league so we [have] to find a way to get her clean shots. 

On any positive takeaways from tonight’s game:

“Yeah, the second half. The way we were able to play defense and a team like this, it’s really hard to have a huge deficit like that and come back so it shows our grit, our toughness, and our ability to play with them. Unfortunately, our first half just was not even close to good enough.”

MYSTICS GUARD KRISTI TOLIVER

On how she stays active when she’s out of the game:

“I mean, I know it’s not going to be easy for me to do things offensively. You know, people are always going to try to take away my offense, my shooting. So you know for me, I can always be involved in the game and that’s finding teammates when they’re open because if it’s two on me them somebody is going to be open. Just trying to find other ways to contribute on both ends of the floor.”

On what changed after half time:

“Yeah, I mean, it was all defense. I think we were more decisive than certain coverages in the first half. We looked like chickens with our head chopped off. Like we didn’t know what we’re doing. They were being the aggressor on both ends of the floor so in the second half that’s where it changed, and it shifted. When we’re able to get stops…that’s when we’re our best.”

On what they need to play both halves defensively:

“It’s a mentality. You know, it’s a 40-minute game. I mean, I don’t know…It really is a mentality. Coming in the start of the game in the first quarter, coming in the start of the third quarter and just having that focus to want to keep pushing and put people away.”

SPARKS HEAD COACH BRIAN AGLER

On how their spacing has improved:

“Spacing is a lot better. We had so many people either not here for training camp or injured in training camp, so we are sort of trying to get better as the season goes on and we sort of have to talk about it, walk through things, instead of practice all the time because of how compact the schedule is. But I think we are getting better and that is one reason our offense is getting better, because of our spacing and our cutting.”

On what he said to his team in order to have them sustain the runs the Mystics made:

“I just challenged them a little bit about, if you want to have success in this league, you have to fight. Right now we are not fighting very hard because they were beating us on the boards, they were beating us off the dribble, they were getting second and third shots, they were getting to the free throw line, they were really doing everything so we stepped up, eliminated their second point opportunities, and we had some people make some big shots.”

On Riquna Williams:

“She was really significant in that first half. She hit shots, guarded Kristi [Toliver], extended the defense. She got on a roll. She was in that zone that you hear people talk about. That was a great thing for our team and she did that.”

SPARKS CENTER CANDACE PARKER

On the game:

“Well, we made it interesting for sure. I thought we played great defense the first half. We were proactive. Obviously, going in the second half, we knew they were going to make adjustments. I just think credit to them, they made adjustments and we did not do a good job of reacting to that. We were able to get the win which is good, but we cannot make it that interesting.”

On getting stops and what that does for them:

“When we are able to get stops defensively, then we are able to play in transition and secondary, and that is where we like to play and in the second half, we were not getting stops so we were not able to play in that phase of the game. I think once we settled down, we were able to get stops. That 7-0 run, I would be willing to bet it was after a stop. We did a good job though of executing in our half-court offense when we needed to.”

On stopping the three:

“We knew they are great three-point shooters. Coach told us the amount of percentage each player takes in three’s in their total shots. We watched the Connecticut game. They got hot. We have to have good proactive rotation, and for the most part tonight, I would say especially in the first half, we had that.”

SPARKS GUARD ALANA BEARD

On responding to the Mystics runs:

“It is just a matter of controlling the game and controlling the boards. I think they did a great job of getting the shots that they wanted in the second half and we did not do a good job of adjusting, but we got to a point where it came down to a crucial moment within the game that we locked in a little bit more, got our stop and finished off that stop with a rebound.”

On taking away Kristi Toliver’s three-point shots:

“Absolutely. Kristi Toliver, at least 60% of her shots are three’s, [Elena] Delle Donne, 25% of her shots are three’s, so you have to understand what players’ strengths are, and you want to make them do something else. KT when she is hitting her three’s, it is getting everyone else going and that was our focus in terms of 1. Keeping the ball out of her hand, but 2. Taking up her space around the three-point line and forcing her to something different.”

On her going to the post and taking advantage of the matchups:

“It is not just about our bigs. I think we have a team that understands the situation and so we saw the mismatch, it was a perfect time to go to it. When you have the players that we have on the court, it is very hard to defend everything. Our point guards are great, and coach did a great job of setting that up and taking advantage of that mismatch.”