Mystics Open Strong on Road
Emotional Smith-Taylor Helps Drub Former Club: Mystics 60, Sting 42
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Sunday, May 22, 2005
CHARLOTTE, May 21 -- Moments before Saturday night's WBNA season opener, Charlotte Smith-Taylor couldn't fight off the tears. After six seasons playing for the Charlotte Sting, she found herself sitting on the other bench in an unfamiliar uniform, playing for the visiting Washington Mystics.
But Smith-Taylor didn't need too long to regroup emotionally, scoring nine points to help lead the Mystics to a 60-42 win over the Sting before 9,709 on Saturday night.
"It was very emotional," Smith-Taylor said. "When I came in for shoot-around, it was just kind of weird being back here at the Coliseum.
"And then before the game when a lot of girls came up to me, I was just crying. You form a bond, and when it's not just about basketball, but about friendship, it's hard. These are people that I love. I had some jitters in the beginning, but then I just realized that I had a job to do and I settled down."
It looked more like the Sting had the jitters early on.
Charlotte missed 19 of its first 21 shots from the field and committed 13 turnovers in the first 16 minutes to fall behind 24-10. The Sting had 25 turnovers in the game.
"I think the key was our defensive effort," said DeLisha Milton-Jones, who led the Mystics with 11 points and seven rebounds. "You just didn't have three people playing out there, you had five people playing high energy and intense defense. If we can continue this throughout the season, then we can look forward to some new things."
The Mystics also got a big game from first-round draft pick Temeka Johnson, who scored eight of her 10 points in the opening half.
She outplayed Janel McCarville, the No. 1 pick in this year's WBNA draft, who had two points and six rebounds for Charlotte.
"I didn't think we were ready," Mystics Coach Richie Adubato said. "That's why this game is crazy. We had people come, and they didn't really know the offense.
"I was limited, but little Temeka Johnson set the tone. She's a rookie and she's 5-foot-3. She pushed the ball down and got us a lot of easy baskets, and she played great for a person who is just turning pro. She was terrific."
After failing to make the playoffs last year, the Sting signed free agents Sheri Sam, Tangela Smith and Helen Darling in hopes of improving a lackluster offense.
