The Washington Mystics went into Tuesday’s game against the league-leading Los Angeles Sparks aiming to prove that despite a barely .500 record, they can beat elite teams in their handful of games before the playoffs begin.
The Mystics (16-13) did just that, dispatching the Sparks (23-7), 84-74, while holding L.A. All-Star Lisa Leslie to just 10 points in front of nearly 9,000 at Verizon Center.
“Looking at [the Mystics’] record, if they play that well they should be at the top of the Eastern Conference,” Leslie said. “I think that hey, if you’re going to play well, now is a good time here towards the end and they can still make a run for the championship.”
Alana Beard led all scorers with 29 points, with 18 coming in the second half. But it was Mystic teammate DeLisha Milton-Jones who ignited Washington’s fourth quarter offense, scoring half of the points in the team’s 8-0 run that gave the Mystics the lead for good at 75-70 with 2:37 left in the game.
“I just knew that we needed some buckets,” Milton-Jones said. “And the opportunity presented itself. I had two open shots on the corner wing over there so I just caught it and shot it. It was allin rhythm.”
The Sparks had six players in double figures, led by 12 apiece from forwards Christi Thomas and Chamique Holdsclaw, but it was not enough to stop the surging Mystics — the winners of four straight. The streak is the team’s longest since 2004.
It was Washington’s first home victory against the Sparks since 1999 and just its fourth win in 17 meetings between the two teams.
The Sparks struggled offensively in the first half, especially their trio of stars. All-Stars Leslie, Holdsclaw and Mwadi Mabika are averaging a combined 44.9 points per game this season but could only muster a combined 10 points in the first half.
The Sparks came out after halftime firing. Los Angeles took a 48-45 lead with 7:26 left in the third quarter, making four of their first five shots, including a pair of three-pointers by Mabika — who was held scoreless in the first half.
Beard and the Mystics answered back as the All-Star scored eight straight points. But a jumper by former Mystic and 2005 Rookie-of-the-Year Temeka Johnson gave the Sparks a 61-60 lead heading into the fourth.
The win capped an especially happy day for Beard as she was named to the 2006 USA Basketball Women’s World Championship Team. She joins teammate Milton-Jones on the team that will compete in the FIBA World Championships, held in Sao Paulo, Brazil from Sept. 12-23.
