Tweet
Mystics ease past Sparks 96-64 to reach semifinals
WASHINGTON (AP) Elena Delle Donne had 19 points and 12 rebounds to help the Washington Mystics rout the Los Angeles Sparks 96-64 on Thursday night in the second round of the WNBA playoffs.
Los Angeles and Minnesota - the past three WNBA champions - have both been eliminated from the postseason.
Washington (23-12) will open a best-of-five series against Atlanta on Sunday, aiming for its first WNBA Finals appearance.
LaToya Sanders and Ariel Atkins each scored 14 points for No. 3 seed Washington. The Mystics had 28 assists on 37 field goals, leading to six players in double-figure scoring.
Delle Donne made a baseline jumper to close a 15-2 run for a 21-13 lead and the Mystics extended it to 27-16 at the end of the first quarter. It was 50-29 at halftime and 75-46 entering the fourth.
It was a tough travel stretch for Los Angeles to end the year. The Sparks closed the regular season at Connecticut, hosted defending champion Minnesota two nights later and returned to the East Coast in a four-day stretch.
Candace Parker scored 16 points for Los Angeles (19-16). Nneka Ogwumike and Chelsea Gray - part of the Sparks' top-three scorers - combined for 0-of-9 shooting in the first half.
The game was played at George Washington University's Charles E. Smith Center because the Mystics' regular home, Capital One Arena, is undergoing renovations.
****************************
Griner, Taurasi help Mercury beat Sun 96-86
By By DOUG FEINBERG
UNCASVILLE, Conn. (AP) Diana Taurasi has made a career of playing her best on the biggest stage.
The Phoenix star improved to 13-0 in playoff deciding games, scoring 27 points in the Mercury's 96-86 victory over the Connecticut Sun on Thursday in the second round of the WNBA playoffs.
''If I had the answer I'd gladly tell you,'' Taurasi said. ''A lot of it is luck. A lot of it is having great teammates. You don't do it alone in this sport. We relish these moments where it's up to you if you want to keep playing.''
Brittney Griner also had 27 points, most in the second half, and keyed a 15-5 run to close the game with four points and a key block.
''(Dewanna Bonner) came to me in the locker room at halftime and told me to stop being passive,'' Griner said. ''It kind of hit me. I started being more aggressive. Encouraging me and getting on me to go a little harder.''
The Mercury will face Seattle in the conference semifinals, starting Sunday.
''Seattle is the No. 1 team in the league. Breanna Stewart has had a fantastic season,'' Phoenix coach Sandy Brondello said. ''They have a really strong five and good bench that can come in. We haven't played Seattle with the lineup we have. We know it's a five-game series. We'll focus on that first game.''
Stephanie Talbot hit a 3-pointer to tie it at 94 with 4:19 left. Griner then scored four points and had a key block on Courtney Williams to give the Mercury a 92-86 lead with 1:11 left.
The game was a rematch of last season's second round contest that the Mercury won 88-83. In that game the Mercury didn't have Bonner, who was out for the season while she gave birth to twins. On Thursday night she played nearly the entire game and finished with 23 points and 18 rebounds.
Courtney Williams led the Sun with 27 points, including a four-point play in the fourth quarter.
''To come up short against the same team again is frustrating for everybody,'' Williams said. ''We got to watch more film and get better and come back a stronger team.''
WASHINGTON (AP) Elena Delle Donne had 19 points and 12 rebounds to help the Washington Mystics rout the Los Angeles Sparks 96-64 on Thursday night in the second round of the WNBA playoffs.
Los Angeles and Minnesota - the past three WNBA champions - have both been eliminated from the postseason.
Washington (23-12) will open a best-of-five series against Atlanta on Sunday, aiming for its first WNBA Finals appearance.
LaToya Sanders and Ariel Atkins each scored 14 points for No. 3 seed Washington. The Mystics had 28 assists on 37 field goals, leading to six players in double-figure scoring.
Delle Donne made a baseline jumper to close a 15-2 run for a 21-13 lead and the Mystics extended it to 27-16 at the end of the first quarter. It was 50-29 at halftime and 75-46 entering the fourth.
It was a tough travel stretch for Los Angeles to end the year. The Sparks closed the regular season at Connecticut, hosted defending champion Minnesota two nights later and returned to the East Coast in a four-day stretch.
Candace Parker scored 16 points for Los Angeles (19-16). Nneka Ogwumike and Chelsea Gray - part of the Sparks' top-three scorers - combined for 0-of-9 shooting in the first half.
The game was played at George Washington University's Charles E. Smith Center because the Mystics' regular home, Capital One Arena, is undergoing renovations.
****************************
Griner, Taurasi help Mercury beat Sun 96-86
By By DOUG FEINBERG
UNCASVILLE, Conn. (AP) Diana Taurasi has made a career of playing her best on the biggest stage.
The Phoenix star improved to 13-0 in playoff deciding games, scoring 27 points in the Mercury's 96-86 victory over the Connecticut Sun on Thursday in the second round of the WNBA playoffs.
''If I had the answer I'd gladly tell you,'' Taurasi said. ''A lot of it is luck. A lot of it is having great teammates. You don't do it alone in this sport. We relish these moments where it's up to you if you want to keep playing.''
Brittney Griner also had 27 points, most in the second half, and keyed a 15-5 run to close the game with four points and a key block.
''(Dewanna Bonner) came to me in the locker room at halftime and told me to stop being passive,'' Griner said. ''It kind of hit me. I started being more aggressive. Encouraging me and getting on me to go a little harder.''
The Mercury will face Seattle in the conference semifinals, starting Sunday.
''Seattle is the No. 1 team in the league. Breanna Stewart has had a fantastic season,'' Phoenix coach Sandy Brondello said. ''They have a really strong five and good bench that can come in. We haven't played Seattle with the lineup we have. We know it's a five-game series. We'll focus on that first game.''
Stephanie Talbot hit a 3-pointer to tie it at 94 with 4:19 left. Griner then scored four points and had a key block on Courtney Williams to give the Mercury a 92-86 lead with 1:11 left.
The game was a rematch of last season's second round contest that the Mercury won 88-83. In that game the Mercury didn't have Bonner, who was out for the season while she gave birth to twins. On Thursday night she played nearly the entire game and finished with 23 points and 18 rebounds.
Courtney Williams led the Sun with 27 points, including a four-point play in the fourth quarter.
''To come up short against the same team again is frustrating for everybody,'' Williams said. ''We got to watch more film and get better and come back a stronger team.''
Comment