In a Month, Mystics Haven't Changed Much
Sky 79, Mystics 75

By Katie Carrera
Washington Post Staff Writer
Saturday, August 30, 2008

Sure, it was only one game, but for the final two minutes, the Washington Mystics' game last night's game against Chicago at Verizon Center felt like more.

The Washington Mystics had survived four weeks of interim coach Jessie Kenlaw's boot camp and spent the days leading up to this game talking about having found the will and drive that they had lacked all season. The first game back since the month-long Olympic break seemed like a prime opportunity to prove it, not so much to the league or to fans but to themselves.

But despite gutting through a slow start and inconsistent stretches to get within a point of the Sky with two minutes remaining, the Mystics saw their shots bounce off the rim in the final seconds of a 79-75 loss. The teams are now tied for fifth place in the Eastern Conference at 10-17, two games behind Indiana and the final playoff berth.

"We were really pumped up we were really ready and Chicago is definitely a team we should beat," small forward Monique Currie said. "It's very, very hard because I know how hard we've worked and how bad we all wanted it, but it's a problem with transferring what we do in practice into the game. We box out in practice, we play great defense in practice and then we get in the game and its not there."

Kenlaw knew her team would need some time to scrape away the rust, not having played since July 27. But through most of the first half against the Sky the Mystics didn't just look rusty, they looked uncomfortable -- especially with the lead.

Hot one minute and cold the next, they looked like the same old Mystics as they struggled to penetrate Chicago's defense, frittered away the shot clock and failed to seize momentum on offense. They had fewer turnovers -- one of Kenlaw's pet peeves -- but made just 5 of 19 shots in the first quarter.

"We didn't run," a noticeably exasperated Kenlaw said. 'That's supposed to be our identity. That's supposed to be our forte and we didn't do it. I'm kind of baffled about that."

The Sky wasn't doing much better at that point, though, and looked a bit sluggish to start its second game in two days. But even when the Mystics made plays that should have boosted their confidence as the first half came to a close -- like Coco Miller's two baskets as the shot clock wound down and Crystal Smith swatting the ball away from a Sky forward to set up a fast break for Tasha Humphrey -- they still seemed tentative. Nothing about Washington's three-point halftime lead instilled a great deal of confidence.

"At halftime we had the lead but we hadn't played well," said Currie, who exemplified the Mystics' early struggles, going 1 of 5 from the field and 1 of 3 from the free throw line in the first half.

"We started off sluggish and Jessie's trying to figure out why. We have to start games better. Yeah, we did make a comeback and put ourselves in a good position in the third quarter but then we let down."

The Sky took advantage of the Mystics' uncertainties to start the second half, as Washington committed five turnovers within the first three minutes and Chicago guard Jia Perkins seemed to multiply on the court, scoring 14 of her game-high 28 points in the third quarter.

Whether it was Kenlaw slapping the scorer's table in frustration or their pride kicking in, the Mystics woke up just as Chicago appeared ready to embarrass them. In the third quarter, guard Alana Beard scored six points, Currie added seven and center Nakia Sanford tacked on four of her own, and for the first time all game the Mystics looked like the energetic, passionate bunch they've been in practice. They tied the game entering the final frame.

But when it came time to capitalize on the Sky missing five of six free throws in the final minute of the game, or hitting the layups that seemed so readily available, the Mystics found themselves in the same place they've been all year -- a bounce here, a turnover there and ultimately short.

"We can't sit back," a Kenlaw said. "We can't rely on excuses. Yeah we don't have Taj [McWilliams-Franklin, who was traded during the Olympic layoff], we don't have a point guard, we don't have this, we don't have that. But we've still got to play."