For The First Twenty Minutes of the Mystics' game last night in LA, it looked almost certain that Washington would finish up its five-game road trip without a single victory. During the first two periods, the Mystics played some of the worst basketball we've seen them play this season, allowing the Sparks to build as much as a 24-point lead. By halftime, the Mystics had managed to cut that lead by only two points, and so they entered the locker room at the break with the Sparks firmly ahead, 47-25.
The BCs guess that around that time many folks (oh you of little faith) turned off the game and called it a night. Those of you who did, well, you missed an amazing second half of basketball . . . and, no doubt, woke up to a big surprise this morning!
In the third quarter, the Sparks came out flat, while the Mystics, led by Lang and Matee, suddenly were able to find the net, and outscored LA in that period, 20-12. That closed the gap to 59-45 . . . a good effort by Washington, but still nothing to cause panic on the Sparks' bench. But in the final quarter, the Sparks simply imploded, scoring 18 points while the Mystics virtually scored at will, pouring in 32 points! The Sparks' entire 22-point halftime lead was history, and with the score tied at the end of regulation, 77-77, the teams were headed for overtime. For Maryland fans, the last minute of regulation was particularly sweet, as we saw a shoot out between Lang and Marissa on one end of the court and Kristi on the other, each of the three nailing a big bucket for her team.
With the game now going to "penalty kicks" as the LA announcer put it (perhaps he, like the BCs, had spent hours earlier in the day watching the USA's futile effort against Japan), the Mystics took over completely, outscoring LA 12-8 and ending their long road trip with a much-needed W, 89-85. According to the AP, the win was the largest second-half comeback in WNBA history.
Matee led all scorers with 29 points, while Lang added 24 points plus 14 boards (for another double-double) and 5 assists. (No wonder Lang's back has been hurting . . . she's doing a lot of heavy lifting these days!) Marissa was the only other Mystic in double-figures (10), with all of her scoring coming in the critical fourth quarter and in OT. Except for Jasmine (8 points), the Mystics' bench contributed very little last night. Kristi led the Sparks with 21 points (including 4 of 5 three-pointers) and tallied 7 assists in a losing effort.
The Mystics' win last night broke their five-game losing streak and improved their record (a little), to 3-10, still last in the East. They return home on Wednesday for the annual kiddie day game (aka Screamageddon) at 11:30am. The Mystics will be playing the Atlanta Dream, one of the only three teams they have beaten this season.
If you'll be one of the few grownups attending . . . don't forget your earplugs!
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