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| WNBA MVP Elena Delle Donne led the charge for the Mystics, scoring 22 points in Washington's 95-86 win over the Sun. (photo courtesy NBAE/WNBA) |
WASHINGTON, DC—Elena Delle Donne dropped in 22 points and
grabbed 10 rebounds to lead five Washington players in double-digits as the
Mystics took Game 1 of the WNBA Finals over the Connecticut Sun, 95-86, before
4,200 fans at the Entertainment and Sports Arena on Sunday. Ariel Atkins added
21 for the Mystics—shooting an amazing 85.7 percent from the field (6-for-7,
including 3-for-4 from beyond the three point arc)—while Kristi Oliver added
18, Natasha Cloud added 13 and Emma Messeman scored 11 for Washington, which
took a 1-0 lead in the best-of-five series.
Connecticut’s Courtney Williams led all scorers with 26 points, while Alyssa Thomas added 20, Shekinna Stricklen had 13 and Jonquel Jones had 12.
Washington came out of the blocks on a tear, and took a 13-point lead, 30-17, at the first turn. The Sun were never able to dig out from that hole.
Connecticut rallied to cut the Mystics’ margin to nine points, 55-49 at intermission, but the third period, which has been the Sun’s calling card all season, went to Washington, albeit by a single point. Indeed, the Mystics had built a 17-point lead in the third period before the Sun tried to launch what would have been a monumental comeback, if successful.
However, it fell short.
Connecticut did win the fourth period (also by one point), but it proved too little and too late. They simply were not able to overcome the 13-point deficit—although a fourth-quarter rally by the Sun reduced the Washington lead to four twice in the fourth period. Delle Donne answered each time with a bucket. The reigning MVP nailed jumper with 4:56 remaining in regulation which gave the Mystics a six-point lead, 82-76, and also ignited a 9-0 run.
Game, set, match.
“It was a hard battle,” said Stricklen. “It was a tough game until the finish. We didn’t let up. There were times where we could have let up but we kept fighting. We just have to be better on defense, especially me. Be more aggressive. They got a lot of offensive rebounds. If we can get them to miss shots, we will be alright. Let this game go, watch film, learn from it and get ready to come back on Tuesday.”
“Obviously being 1-0 in the series is a great thing,” said Washington head coach Mike Thibault, who spent several years roaming the sidelines for the Sun. “I suspect that both coaches will be meeting with their teams tomorrow and telling them a lot of the same things: You could have done this better, you could have done that better, take care of the ball, don't turn it over. I felt both teams made some mistakes. First game is kind of feeling it out and deciding how somebody is going to play you, and I thought we adjusted fairly well to how we were going to be played.
But Thibault was not happy with his team’s second-half play, especially considering it was on the Mystics’ home court.
“The second half was played evenly and we need to be better than that,” continued Thibault, who coached the Sun from 2003-2012. “Our turnovers were higher than I'd like, but we got ourselves to the free-throw line. We did a good job on the boards. We got some huge second shots in the fourth quarter that gave us the possession back after they made their run. Having five players in double figures is huge. Elena did what she does best, and we had a lot of great contributions. Ariel Atkins’ contribution was huge today, from making her first three of the game to being aggressive. That looked like the Ariel from last year in the playoffs, and that offensive rebound she got late in the game was a huge saver for us. It gave us the last piece of momentum that we needed.”
Despite the loss, the Sun’s mission remains the same: Win both games on their home court, and steal one on the road. Game 2 of the WNBA Finals is scheduled for Tuesday, Oct. 1, at the Entertainment and Sports Arena. Tip-off is at 8 p.m., and ESPN will televise the game nationally.
Make no mistake: Game 2 is enormously important from the Sun’s perspective. A second straight loss would put the team in a position in which they would have to win three straight (two at home, one the road) against the No. 1 seed in the league. Impossible? No. But highly improbable.
The series moves to Connecticut for Games 3 and 4 (if necessary). Game 3 will be on Sunday. Tip-off at the Mohegan Sun Arena is slated for 3:30 p.m. The game will be televised nationally on ABC, and tickets are available at the Mohegan Sun Arena box office or by clicking HERE.
Sun Spots
Connecticut’s Courtney Williams led all scorers with 26 points, while Alyssa Thomas added 20, Shekinna Stricklen had 13 and Jonquel Jones had 12.
Washington came out of the blocks on a tear, and took a 13-point lead, 30-17, at the first turn. The Sun were never able to dig out from that hole.
Connecticut rallied to cut the Mystics’ margin to nine points, 55-49 at intermission, but the third period, which has been the Sun’s calling card all season, went to Washington, albeit by a single point. Indeed, the Mystics had built a 17-point lead in the third period before the Sun tried to launch what would have been a monumental comeback, if successful.
However, it fell short.
Connecticut did win the fourth period (also by one point), but it proved too little and too late. They simply were not able to overcome the 13-point deficit—although a fourth-quarter rally by the Sun reduced the Washington lead to four twice in the fourth period. Delle Donne answered each time with a bucket. The reigning MVP nailed jumper with 4:56 remaining in regulation which gave the Mystics a six-point lead, 82-76, and also ignited a 9-0 run.
Game, set, match.
“It was a hard battle,” said Stricklen. “It was a tough game until the finish. We didn’t let up. There were times where we could have let up but we kept fighting. We just have to be better on defense, especially me. Be more aggressive. They got a lot of offensive rebounds. If we can get them to miss shots, we will be alright. Let this game go, watch film, learn from it and get ready to come back on Tuesday.”
“Obviously being 1-0 in the series is a great thing,” said Washington head coach Mike Thibault, who spent several years roaming the sidelines for the Sun. “I suspect that both coaches will be meeting with their teams tomorrow and telling them a lot of the same things: You could have done this better, you could have done that better, take care of the ball, don't turn it over. I felt both teams made some mistakes. First game is kind of feeling it out and deciding how somebody is going to play you, and I thought we adjusted fairly well to how we were going to be played.
But Thibault was not happy with his team’s second-half play, especially considering it was on the Mystics’ home court.
“The second half was played evenly and we need to be better than that,” continued Thibault, who coached the Sun from 2003-2012. “Our turnovers were higher than I'd like, but we got ourselves to the free-throw line. We did a good job on the boards. We got some huge second shots in the fourth quarter that gave us the possession back after they made their run. Having five players in double figures is huge. Elena did what she does best, and we had a lot of great contributions. Ariel Atkins’ contribution was huge today, from making her first three of the game to being aggressive. That looked like the Ariel from last year in the playoffs, and that offensive rebound she got late in the game was a huge saver for us. It gave us the last piece of momentum that we needed.”
Despite the loss, the Sun’s mission remains the same: Win both games on their home court, and steal one on the road. Game 2 of the WNBA Finals is scheduled for Tuesday, Oct. 1, at the Entertainment and Sports Arena. Tip-off is at 8 p.m., and ESPN will televise the game nationally.
Make no mistake: Game 2 is enormously important from the Sun’s perspective. A second straight loss would put the team in a position in which they would have to win three straight (two at home, one the road) against the No. 1 seed in the league. Impossible? No. But highly improbable.
The series moves to Connecticut for Games 3 and 4 (if necessary). Game 3 will be on Sunday. Tip-off at the Mohegan Sun Arena is slated for 3:30 p.m. The game will be televised nationally on ABC, and tickets are available at the Mohegan Sun Arena box office or by clicking HERE.
Sun Spots
- The Sun are 3-1 for the postseason which is the best record for the franchise in the playoffs.
- Four of Connecticut’s five starters scored in double figures, two of whom scoured 20 or more points. The last time two Sun players had 20 or more points was on August, 30h in an 85-74 win against New York.
- Alyssa Thomas scored 20 points for the second time this postseason and third of her playoff career. Thomas also added six rebounds and six assists while playing in her third 40-minute game this year.
- Courtney Williams scored her second 20+ point game this post-season, tallying a team-high 26 against the Mystics.
- This is Williams’ sixth playoff game in double-figures as well as her third 20+ point game in her playoff career. Williams scored her 100th career playoff point. She also shot 6-of-9 from the three-point line for 66.7 percent—her best percentage this season on the most makes and most attempts.
- Shekinna Stricklen scored 13 points and Jonquel Jones had 12 points, six rebounds and four assists.
- Connecticut shot 48.5 percent from the field which is the best the team has shot so far in the playoffs this season.
- At the half both teams were nearly even across the stat line. Connecticut shot 20-for-33 to Washington’s 21-for-33. Both teams had 10 rebounds. The Mystics led 12-11 in assists. The Sun had seven fouls, six steals, nine turnovers and two blocked shots, while the Mystics had five fouls, seven steals, nine turnovers and one block.
- Mystics superstar Elena Delle Donne became just the second player this postseason to record 20+ points, 10+ rebounds and 5+ assists in a single playoff game and has now scored 22+ points in four of five games this postseason.
- Mystics forward Ariel Atkins’s 21 points were her postseason high. She shot 6-for-7 from the field (.857), including 3-for-4 from downtown. Her three 3-pointers and three steals each tie playoff career highs.
- Washington guard Kristi Toliver scored 18 points, including a pair of 3-pointers which moved her into a tie for sixth place on the WNBA’s all-time postseason 3-pointers made list, matching UConn legend Sue Bird with 82. Toliver needs three 3-pointers made to move into a tie for fifth place with former Mystics guard Kara Lawson (85).
—with staff reports
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