With nine returning players from last year’s roster, the Washington Mystics expected to mesh as quick as any team in the league in 2007.
But Tuesday’s 18-point loss to Sacramento was a disjointed and ragged affair that left more than just the players shaking their heads.
“We have done some of the most stupidest things I have ever seen already this year, and it’s the second game,” said forward DeLisha Milton-Jones. “It seems like the chemistry and the flow should not be an issue.”
The Mystics were outrebounded by the Monarchs, 50-22, and brutalized in the paint, where Milton-Jones and Chasity Melvin each had three fouls by halftime and were severely limited in the second half, leaving Nakia Sanford battling alone in the lane.
“You can’t really talk about the refereeing, but it’s kind of difficult for me. I was trying my best to box out, and I’m being pulled down on the ground, my arm being pulled back and nothing,” said Sanford. “You’re getting killed and there’s no call so it’s disappointing, you can’t get a break. But at the same time, we have to toughen up.”
Mystics owner Sheila Johnson’s expression of disappointment afterward in the locker room was a big departure from the supportive messages she usually offers.
“Normally she’ll come in, if we’ve lost, ‘What can I do to help,’” said Mystics general manager Linda Hargrove. “She’s a very caring individual, but she was disappointed, and I thought it was very appropriate that she let the team know that.”
