We'll Be Honest . . . with the Mystics' game against the Mercury in Phoenix starting at10PM (ET) last night, at the end of a long work week, the BCs didn't stay up late to watch it all. In fact, we didn't see much more than the first quarter.
But it turned out to be a somewhat interesting first quarter: how often do you see a game begin with a star player (Candice Dupree) grabbing the opening tip and then running the wrong way down the court? (It was a first for the BCs!) Unfortunately for the Mystics, the hot-shooting Dupree (she finished the game leading all scorers with 20 points) passed the ball to a teammate before attempting an "own goal." Darn!
For the Mystics, the interesting (and unusual) aspect of the first quarter was that Lang scored 11 of the team's 12 points in that period (Nicky added a free throw). Yes, Lang was the only player in Mystics red who scored a field goal during the opening ten minutes. It doesn't usually bode well when only one player is carrying her team for an entire period, so it was no surprise that the Mystics trailed at the end of that period, 22-12.
The Mystics went on to lose, 78-64. From the box score, it appears that aside from Lang (8-17) and Jasmine Thomas (5-6), the rest of the Mystics would've had trouble hitting water from a boat last night. As a team, they a shot only 34.8% overall (23% if you exclude Lang and Jasmine's numbers), and a paltry 18.8% from beyond the arc (3 of 16). Ugh-ly.
With a third of the WNBA season now over, the Mystics' record stands at 2-10. And at 0-4, this 5-game road trip is not turning out to be much fun for the Mystics players . . . or their fans.
The final stop on the Mystics' road trip is LA tomorrow (Sunday), where Washington will tip off against the struggling Sparks (no Candace Parker, interim Coach Jellybean) at 8:30PM ET. The game will be broadcast on NBA TV.
But speaking of fun and no-fun, the BCs did catch all of the earlier game last night between the (not-having-any-fun) Tulsa Shock and the LA Sparks via Live Access. Tulsa led by as many as 18 points! Well into the final period, it looked nearly certain that the Sparks would be become the second member of the I-can't-believe-my-team-lost-to-the-Tulsa-Shock Club. Alas, thanks in large part to Kristi Toliver, the Mystics remain the sole member of that ignominious organization. KT scored a game-high 25 points (tying her career high), dished out 6 assists, grabbed 3 rebounds, and had only 1 TO, to lead her team in a ferocious late-game comeback. With 19 seconds left, KT nailed a 22-foot three-pointer to put her team up by 4 . . . a shot the Tulsa play-by-play announcer described as a "dagger" to the heart of the Shock. How many times have Maryland fans seen KT do that before? That was fun to see . . . in a WNBA season that (to date) has mostly been not much fun at all. Thanks, KT! LA won, 79-74.
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This is a big weekend if you're a sports fan. Besides WNBA games, there's the Tour de France, the Women's World Cup, and the British Open. If you are looking for the BCs today or tomorrow, we'll be in front of our TV. Enjoy the weekend!
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