First, the offensive rebounds disappeared. Then the offense itself vanished.
After leading by as many as 14 points early in the second quarter, the Washington Mystics were an appalling 1-for-20 while surrendering a 16-0 run by the visiting Sacramento Monarchs in the fourth quarter in a 70-52 loss in front of 7,553 at Verizon Center.
The loss, which head coach Richie Adubato called “one of the worst in a long time,” prompted an immediate response from the team’s management.
“I’m kind of in a daze, sitting here in shock,” said forward DeLisha Milton-Jones. “We had several people from upper management come into the locker room and express to us their disappointment. That hurts. When you have the boss coming in here and saying how disappointed she is, then you know you better get your [behind] in gear because you can be out of a job.”
Four different players scored in double-figures and three grabbed as many as eight rebounds for the Monarchs (2-1), led by DeMya Walker and Yolanda Griffith, who each had 11 points and eight boards.
Alana Beard, who missed last weekend’s season-opener with a shoulder injury, paced the Mystics (0-2) with a game-high 17 points.
