San Antonio Silver Stars outshine the slumping Washington Mystics 73-67 – WNBA Recap
On Tuesday night, San Antonio Silver Stars recorded a 73-67 win over the already slumping Washington Mystics. It was San Antonio’s fifth straight victory at Verizon Center.
This victory against Mystics helped Silver Stars secure second spot in the Western Conference with a 10-5 record. San Antonio now trails the Minnesota Lynx by one and half a game for the top position in the West.
The Silver Stars got great support from the reserves on the night. They combined for 35 points in the victory.
Becky Hammon, a six-time All-Star, brought championship-level intensity to the game, and scored a game-high 22 points on a 6 for 13 shooting from the field, including 3 for 6 from three-point range. The 34-year-old guard also contributed five rebounds, three steals and two assists. Additionally, she pinned 7 of 7 free throws for San Antonio.
Jia Perkins came off the bench with 10 points for Silver Stars, who have won three of their previous four games.
"She runs the team, that's no secret," Perkins said of her teammate Hammon, who was honoured one of the Top 15 WNBA players of all-time in the WNBA All-Star game last weekend."We follow her. She is our leader. "
Crystal Langhorne led Mystics with 19 points, seven rebounds, three steals and two blocks. Langhorne, the leading scorer and rebounder of the league at present, shot 6 for 8 from the floor and 7 for 8 from free throw line. Marissa Coleman had 14 points and seven rebounds while Matee Ajavon punctuated 10 points in the second consecutive defeat of Washington.
The intense defensive effort by San Antonio gave them the advantage, holding the hosts to just 37.5 percent shooting on the evening. The Silver Stars shot just 27.7 percent in their previous loss to Seattle Storm, but shot 45.9 percent in this game. San Antonio outscored Washington 38-26 in points in the paint and committed 16 turnovers as compared to 19 by the Mystics.
Mystics started the game quite positively, racing out to an 18-16 lead at the end of first quarter on the back of Coleman’s eight-point spurt. In the second period, the defensive clamp was put on by San Antonio, who gave up only 16 points. That gave the Silver Stars a 37-34 advantage heading into halftime.
Washington struck back in the third quarter and outplayed San Antonio 17-14, tying the game at 51. The Mystics gave the visiting team a very tough time until the last two minutes of the fourth quarter when San Antonio went on a 10-6 to seal a close victory.
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