Mystics guard Taylor Hill scored a team high 21 points however it wasn't enough as Washington fell to Dallas
The Dallas Wings got their fifth win of the season Sunday afternoon in Washington, D.C. The Mystics suffered their first loss of the season at the Verizon Center, Washington wasn't as sharp as they needed to be and the Wings made them pay for it.
Glory Johnson (pictured above) had a season high 27 points against the Mystics, 16 of which came in the third quarter when the Wings made their move. Trailing the Mystics after the first half, Dallas refused to go away. Glory proved to be a tough cover for the Mystics, she was too big for perimeter players and far too quick for post players. Skylar Diggins-Smith played a great floor game, with Johnson rolling, she picked her spots in which to be aggressive and didn't let Washington speed her up. She didn't score her first field goal until the second quarter, but closed the half with a small scoring spurt to keep Dallas in striking distance. She finished the game with 19 points, 7 rebounds, and 8 assists.
The Mystics got a great start out of Tierra Ruffin-Pratt, their versatile defender made an impact on the offensive end in this one early on. Scoring 14 points in the first half, but she and her teammates struggled to get going in the second half. As Elena Delle Donne (14 points) said after the game, there were several "defensive lapses" on key possessions for the Mystics.
The first thing that came to mind was in the fourth quarter, Theresa Plaisance got going in pick-and-pop actions. Two of which resulted in wide open three point looks and she knocked those down. Both shots erased three point leads for Washington. The Mystics got a good performance from Tianna Hawkins (13 points, 7 rebounds) off the bench, but the "Goon Squad" wasn't their typical selves on this afternoon.
Wings point guard Skylar Diggins-Smith posted a near triple double with 19 points, 8 assist and 7 rebounds
Another indication of it being a poor night on the defensive end for Washington is that they lost the rebounding battle. The Mystics are one of the better rebounding teams in the league, but Dallas won the battle on the glass 35-30. Of those 35, 11 were on the offensive glass.
The Mystics are now 7-4 on the year, they've fallen to third place in the league standings. They have a very important four-game stretch coming up, starting with Minnesota on the road on Friday. Followed by a road game against the Chicago Sky before coming home to host the Seattle Storm and New York Liberty. At this moment, Washington is tied with New York and have a one game lead over the Storm.
Mystics Head Coach Mike Thibault Post Game Presser
Mystics forward Elena Delle Donne Post Game Presser
Mystics point guard Ivory Latta Post Game Presser
Wings forward Glory Johnson and point guard Skylar Diggins- Smith Post Game