Chamique Holdsclaw returned to the Washington Mystics' lineup last night and was intent on single-handedly pulling her team out of its slump.
Although she had missed the last four games with a strained hamstring, Holdsclaw did not hesitate to shoot when she had the chance. She launched 22 shots, but made only six in Washington's 69-61 loss to the Sacramento Monarchs last night at MCI Center.
Sacramento's Hamchetou Maiga runs after a loose ball as Washington's Kiesha Brown watches from the floor.
(Kevin Clark - The Washington Post)
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"I decided to play whether [the hamstring] hurts or not," Holdsclaw said. "Six of 22 is not acceptable by any of my standards. I know I am a much better player and capable of knocking those shots down. I've just got to do it."
Most of the 14,056 fans, which included Houston Rockets guard Steve Francis, were thrilled to see Holdsclaw back in the lineup. They had hoped she would reverse the Mystics' recent poor play. Instead, Washington (2-6), which lost by 40 points to Detroit four days ago, suffered its third straight setback and its sixth loss in its last seven games. The Mystics remain in last place in the Eastern Conference.
"We played much better, but not well enough to win," Mystics Coach Marianne Stanley said.
Holdsclaw, who had not played since Washington's loss in New York on June 1, managed to finish with her third double-double of the season -- 17 points and 17 rebounds. And if not for Holdsclaw, Washington might never have led. She gave the Mystics their first lead when she stole a Sacramento inbounds pass and was fouled making a short jump shot. She converted the three-point play to put Washington ahead 45-44.
The Mystics' lead lasted less than a minute. Ruthie Bolton sank a jump shot that spurred an 8-0 run by the Monarchs (4-7), who would continue to hold off Washington.
Although Stanley said she was happier with the Mystics' defensive effort than she had been against Detroit, she acknowledged that the team came up short in that area in the final minutes.
"I didn't think we could get a stop when we needed one," she said.
Holdsclaw wasn't the only Mystic to struggle offensively against Sacramento. Washington shot 37 percent from the field; Coco Miller and Stacey Dales-Schuman were a combined 1 of 9 from the field in the first half. Dales-Schuman did not make her first basket until more than four minutes into the second half. She finished with 12 points on 4-of-11 shooting.
Miller, the team's second-leading scorer at 12.1 points per game, played much better in the second half. She made 3 of 4 shots after halftime to finish with 12 points.
"When you lose some games, you're trying to find that perfect antidote," Dales-Schuman said. "We do just need to relax and let it come. . . . Once we start doing that, we'll be successful."
Dales-Schuman said the players held a team meeting on Tuesday. She played down its significance, saying the meeting would have been held regardless of the outcome of the Detroit game. She said the confab was positive with a lot of optimism. She did acknowledge, however, that the losing is starting to get to the players.
"Any team that is not achieving W's is going to be frustrated," she said. "We need to win obviously. . . . If you start allowing yourself to fall into that mindset of losing and the frustration of it, you're going to lose. We have been very positive in practice. We had a great team meeting."
While Holdsclaw's return was not a successful one, Kara Lawson's was. Lawson, the two-time All-Met player of the year at West Springfield, had an impressive homecoming. Lawson sank several key shots down the stretch, finishing with 14 points on 5-of-10 shooting. She outscored Washington's reserves.
Lawson "just played with a lot of poise and confidence," Sacramento Coach Maura McHugh said. "You got to really admire that since she's a rookie."
Mystics Note: To make room on the roster for Holdsclaw, the Mystics placed guard Helen Luz on injured reserve with a right calf strain.
