Mystics Scorch Sun, Take Driver’s Seat in WNBA Finals

Hopes were sky high for the Connecticut Sun at the opening tip. They
didn't last long, though, as the Washington Mystics opened up a 15-point
lead by the end of the first period. (Photo by Bill Harper)

By Bob Phillips

UNCASVILLE—For the Connecticut Sun, the formula was simple: Steal a game on the road, and hold service at home. And they started the series on script. After dropping Game 1 in Washington, the Sun did, indeed, still win one on the road, stealing Game 2, 99-87.

Then, they went off script in Game 3. And very well may have gone off the rails.

Here’s the short of it: The Washington Mystics sprinted out of the gate, took a 15-point lead after the first period, and never looked back in defeating the Connecticut Sun, 94-81, before a full house of 9,170 fans at the Mohegan Sun Arena on Sunday. The game was also televised nationally on ABC.

Shekinna Stricklen and Jasmine Thomas shared the lead in scoring for the Sun with 16 points each. Former Hillhouse High (New Haven) star Bria Holmes added 15, and Alyssa Thomas chipped in with 13 points and 9 rebounds. Jonquel Jones came close to a double double with nine points and nine boards, but as we all know, close only counts in horseshoes, right?

Indeed, during the regular season, Sunday’s performance may have been enough to earn a sloppy “W” for the Sun. But this isn’t the regular season, this is the WNBA Finals. And this certainly isn’t just any team. This is the Washington Mystics, the best team in the WNBA and the tournament’s No. 1 seed.

On Sunday, they showed why they are seeded No. 1.

Perhaps it was Elena Delle Donne's gutty return from a disc injury
that provided the spark for the Mystics' comeback.

Take, for instance, Elena Delle Donne. The reigning WNBA MVP suffered a herniated disk pinching a nerve in her back and had not practice since she left Game 2 early without scoring a point. But on Sunday, she did her very best Willis Reed imitation and not only started, but played over half the game (in short spurts, of course), finishing with 13 points while shooting 83.3 percent from the field (5-for-6 from the field, including 3-for-4 from beyond the three-point arc). Because of her limited mobility, the 6-5 Delle Donne was forced to play the perimeter in her 26 minutes which should have been a huge advantage for Connecticut given her 8.2 rebounds per game during the regular season. Didn’t work out quite that way, however. While the numbers produced by the MVP might not have spelt victory for the Mystics in-and-of themselves, the emotional spark provided by Delle Donne’s gutty performance most certainly gave her team an enormous emotional burst.

“We really didn't know if I was going to be able to go today because I hadn't done anything until right up before the game,” said Delle Donne. “We were able to kind of test it a little bit and go from there. I've got a phenomenal team. They've carried me this whole series, and they’re going to carry me the rest of the way.”

“Her presence alone, whether she’s 100 percent or 10 percent, just instills confidence in the rest of the group,” added Mystics’ shooting guard Kristi Toliver, who had a lights-out night from the floor herself. “She showed a lot of character. She showed a lot of heart just being out there on the court today.” Toliver shot 7-for-9 from the field (77.8 percent), including a perfect 4-for-4 from beyond the arc.

For the second straight game, Washington’s Emma Meesseman led all scorers, popping in 21 points off the bench. The Mystics’ marksman (or woman) hit on eight of her 13 shots from the floor (61.5 percent), including 3-for-4 from downtown.

“Emma was a monster,” Delle Donne noted in praise of her teammate. “She was on the attack. So confident. Emma is such a good player, and we need her to just continue to attack because no one can guard her one-on-one. She requires double teams, triple teams to be guarded. You can tell she's relishing in this moment [and] Emma's going to continue to be huge for us. She's been huge these entire playoffs. I say it all the time, Emma is one of the greatest in the world.”

Indeed, three-point shooting was another main storyline in this game. The Mystics scored more than 50 percent of their points from beyond the arc, connecting on 16 of their 27 shots from downtown, an unbeatable 59.3 percent. Connecticut, meanwhile, could not come close to matching the visitors’ long-range efficiency, shooting just 5-for-20 (25 percent) from three-point land.

New Haven's Bria Holmes had a solid night for the Sun, but as a team,
Connecticut did not have enough in their collective tank to stop
Washington on Sunday.

Another key to the Mystics’ win was their defense—in particular their ability to limit the production
of two key Connecticut players, Jonquel Jones and Courtney Williams. J.J. was held to nine points and nine boards after scoring 32 points and grabbing 18 rebounds in Game 1, and Williams was held to six points on 2-for-9 shooting from the field (22.2 percent). She took just one shot from beyond the arc and missed it. Williams scored 22 points in the Game 2 upset victory.

Stopping Williams was the responsibility of Natasha Cloud, the Mystics’ starting point guard, who scored 19 points . To say she succeeded is a huge understatement.

“She understands angles,” said Mystics’ head coach Mike Thibault, who now stands on the precipice of winning his first WNBA championship. That it would be over the Sun would be particularly sweet for Thibault, who roamed the Connecticut sidelines for nine seasons before being unceremoniously fired in 2012.

“I thought Courtney got a little comfortable the first couple of games where she caught the ball,” Thibault continued. “Tash, with all people she plays, makes them have to catch it a little bit more under duress. You don't get a clean look when you catch it.”

Washington led by as many as 17 points in the first half, but a 16-4 run by the Sun cut the Washington lead to just four points, 43-29, at intermission. A traditional three-point play by J.J. opened the scoring in the second half, cutting Washington’s lead to one, and things looked bright at that point for Sun Nation. The home team, however, would get no closer. Toliver answered with a trey, and it was off to the races for the visitors.

The crushing loss at home left the Sun in “win-or-go-home” land. While their mission is quite different now that in was on Sunday morning—the Sun must run the table and win the next two games if they hope to earn their first-ever WNBA crown. It would, of course, require winning Game 4 on Tuesday night at the Mohegan Sun Arena (x p.m. tip-off) and then defeating the Mystics on their home court for the second time in this series.

Impossible? No. Improbable? Very.

For now the Sun must focus on the game at hand, and that means winning on Tuesday. Tipoff at the Mohegan Sun Arena will be at 8 p.m. Tickets are available at the Mohegan Sun Arena, or by clicking HERE. For those unable to attend, the game will be televised nationally on ESPN2. Should the Sun win and force a fifth-and-deciding game, that would be played on Thursday night in D.C., also with an 8 p.m. tip-off on The Deuce.

—with staff reports