Mystics 75, Liberty 74
All the trimmings of an intense playoff atmosphere were on display at Verizon Center on Friday as the Washington Mystics closed their regular-season home slate with a thrilling 75-74 win over the New York Liberty.
Lindsey Harding’s driving layup with 8.8 seconds remaining proved to be the game winner when Janel McCarville and Leilani Mitchell both missed contested looks on the final possession, but it wasn’t the last of the night’s fireworks. After the final horn sounded and the Mystics huddled in the center of the court, a tussle ensued when New York guard Cappie Pondexter got bumped and even New York head coach Anne Donovan was seen in the middle of the court helping separate players.
“Maybe it’ll bring a little extra to the playoffs,” said Harding. “But it was nothing serious.”
Of course, the contest itself was the exact opposite, a victory that first guaranteed the Mystics (21-12) home court advantage in the first round of the WNBA playoffs via a postseason tiebreaker advantage over the Liberty (21-12). The win was also the Mystics’ fifth in a row and snapped the Liberty’s own ten-game winning streak.
And once the Indiana Fever (21-12) lost to San Antonio later in the evening, Washington also claimed first place in the Eastern Conference with one game remaining.
The Mystics played like the spot was theirs for the taking from the opening tip, shooting 56 percent from the field, their second-best outing of the season. Matee Ajavon came off the bench to deliver a team-high 16 points, including three consecutive free throws at the end of the third quarter to give Washington a 61-49 lead, matching their biggest of the contest.
“It prepares us,” said Ajavon. “That’s what we’re getting ready to do. The fans, the atmosphere, us playing with a great team such as New York, it just prepares us for what’s coming.”
But in the final quarter the Mystics lost their way offensively while Pondexter (game-high 28 points) pulled the Liberty back with her aggressive moves to the basket, and McCarville’s jumper reclaimed the lead, 70-69 with 2 minutes, 17 seconds remaining in the contest.
With the crowd of 13,109 on its feet for the final minutes, Pondexter’s miss with 43 seconds opened the door for Washington to back in front, 73-72, on Marissa Coleman’s leaping putback.
“It was so big, I think she jumped over my back,” said Crystal Langhorne (13 points, 7 rebounds).
But even then the Liberty dynamo responded one more time with 12.6 seconds left, setting the stage for the heroics from Harding (14 points) and the closing defensive stand.
“When we get into randoms, we’re not good, especially against teams that back off and don’t allow you in the paint,” said Mystics head coach Julie Plank. “I was happy that our defense was on the floor at the end because I know our team has a lot of confidence in that side of the ball.”
