Shavonte Zellous leads Indiana Fever past the Washington Mystics 89-80 – WNBA Recap
Shavonte Zellous came off the bench and erupted with a season-high 21 points and four rebounds as Indiana Fever topped the Washington Mystics 89-80 on Tuesday night at Verizon Center.
Having scored just seven points in the first six games of the season, the 5-foot-10 reserve guard also blocked three shots and ended the night with a 7-for-9 shooting from the field and 6-for-7 from the free throw line. The 24-year-old
player had just two turnovers in the final game of Indiana’s three-game road trip.
Jessica Davenport and Briann January added 18 points each while January also dished nine assists in the victory. Tamika Catchings also contributed 15 points; seven assists, six rebounds, and one steal.
For Washington, who have lost their fourth straight game, power forward Crystal Langhorne topped all the scorers with 23 points. She also grabbed nine rebounds while shooting 8-for-14 from the field. Guard Matee Ajavon added 17
points; Karima Christmas had 13 and Kelly Miller finished with 10 points.
Mystics got off to a solid start and held a 12-7 lead with 03:44 to go in the first quarter. Davenport drove to the rim and cut the deficit to three seconds later but Langhorne responded with a lay-up and Ajavon hit a pair of free
throw to push the Mystics’ lead to seven points. Two Zellous free throws later, Washington surged with an 8-2 run, taking a 24-13 lead into the second period.
Staring at a double digit hole just after ten minutes, Indiana scorched the Mystics with an 18-3 run, capped by a pair of free throws by Davenport to go ahead by 31-27 with 04:24 to go in the first half. Ajavon and Langhorne answered
with five straight points to give Washington single-point lead, 32-3, but Indiana has settled in their groove by that time and they raced to a 42-36 with just 15 seconds remaining. Miller however pinned a three, a second before the buzzer to cut the deficit
to three, 42-39, at halftime.
Fever carried their momentum to the third quarter and started with a 13-2 spurt that not only gave them a double digit lead but effectively knocked the steam out of the Mystics. Mystics tried to peg back but Indiana countered every
time they did so and managed to carry a six-point lead, 63-57, into the fourth quarter.
Mystics made it a three point game early in the fourth but Fever responded with another scoring spree and sealed the game at 89-80. Even the Mystics coach was left impressed by the Fever.
Mystics coach Trudi Lacey acknowledged the superb performance of the rivals and said "They turned up the heat -- they're a veteran team, a team that's been deep in the playoffs. We mishandled some possessions, gave up some easy
baskets."
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