Lethargic Mystics Have A Letdown Against Fever

Fever 69, Mystics 62

The signs of burnout were all around Verizon Center yesterday. The lackluster numbers on the box score came from starters and reserves, making it clear that fatigue hurt the Washington Mystics in a 69-62 loss to Indiana.

For the second straight game, Washington faced a top-flight opponent (the Fever is tied atop the Eastern Conference standings), struggled with turnovers (26), which led to easy points for the opponent (24), and had a double-digit deficit (15 points) to overcome. And as they did against Detroit on Friday, the Mystics pulled close in the fourth quarter.

But three points were as close as Washington would get, and the Mystics' winning streak ended at three games.

"I can feel it on the court," said guard Alana Beard, who scored a team-high 16 points. "Sometimes I don't feel like I have my legs and you can see sometimes that we don't have that energy. We didn't really have it tonight."

The Mystics (5-11) entered the game trying to continue a hot streak that started on the team's recent road trip. But interim coach Tree Rollins said his team didn't have enough left in reserve for the Fever, which iced its victory before 7,233 fans on Tamika Whitmore's basket with 18 seconds left.

"Mentally and physically, this little run that we've put together took a lot out of us," Rollins said.

Last week's successful road trip went a long way toward salvaging a season that started 0-8. But a letdown was coming, especially after the Mystics rallied to beat Detroit on Friday to begin this three-game homestand.

"It takes a lot of energy to come back," Beard said. "On the defensive end you've got to work that much harder, and have to execute that much better on the offensive end."

Indiana took control midway through the first quarter. With the Mystics leading by four, Fever Coach Brian Winters called for a zone defense, forcing Washington to take more shots from the perimeter.

"It was a good move by Indiana," Beard said.

As Washington missed open jumpers, the Fever turned its deficit into a nine-point lead and closed out the first quarter on a 15-2 run. Indiana's lead grew to 15 points late in the third quarter.

Washington shot just 38.3 percent from the field.

Starting Mystics point guard Nikki Teasley played only three minutes in the second half. Rollins said Teasley told the coaches that her energy level was down from the recent stretch. So, as the game grew close, Teasley watched from the bench as backup Nikki Blue led the Mystics.

The schedule won't let up for the Mystics, who close out the homestand against San Antonio on Tuesday.

"We'll try to recover and regroup," Teasley said. "We'll try to recover and regroup. But somehow or other, we have to get [energy] back."

Mystics Note: General Manger Linda Hargrove said she is pleased with the job Rollins has done since taking over as interim head coach on June 1. But Hargrove, citing a longstanding team policy that keeps team officials from negotiating with coaches until the end of their contract, said any decision to hire Rollins on a permanent basis will likely not come until the offseason.

"We're very happy with the way the team's responded to Tree," Hargrove said. "I think Tree is doing a terrific job. I feel really good about where we are, but as far as making any decisions right now, our policy is to address contracts at the end of contracts."

Rollins has made public his desire to have the word "interim" dropped in his title and stay in Washington.

"I'm just going to let them make the call," said Rollins, who is 5-7 since taking over after Richie Adubato resigned abruptly. "If they think I'm doing a good job, if the players think I'm doing a good job, then I'm sure they'll do the right thing."