Mystics end the season with loss to the Sun

With no hope for a playoff run for either the Washington Mystics or the Connecticut Sun, tonight’s matchup between the two was almost disheartening to watch. The Sun ended the Mystics regular season with a loss, resulting in a disappointed aurora that resonated from the stands to the locker room. However, any spectator in the building could determine the loss came down to the basics: turnovers and rebounding.

The first half was a showcase of both team’s inside game. The score remained close and consisted of multiple lead changes early in the first quarter. Mystics and Sun guards fed the ball to their inside players or attacked the rim on most plays for a large chunk of the first half. In fact, there wasn’t a three pointer made or even attempted until very late in the half. Mystics forward Stefanie Dolson got out to a strong start scoring eight points in the first quarter. Mystics forward Emma Meeseman made her inside presence known as well as she tallied ten points of her own in the first half.

As the half came to an end, the Sun led the Mystics 41-39 before heading into the locker room. With minor improvement to be made during halftime, things appeared to look bright for both teams at the start of the second half. As the third quarter unfolded, each team looked to utilize their key players to keep the score evened out. The Mystics continued to feed the ball on the low or high post to forwards Emma Meeseman and Stefanie Dolson who did much of the scoring during the second half. The Sun ran their offense through Jonquel Jones who ended the night with 21 points and 7 rebounds.

Amidst the Sun’s offensive rebounding advantage over the Mystics, the score still remained close as the Sun only led the Mystics by a score of 71-68. However, the Connecticut became the “Blue Collar” team by out rebounding Washington and forcing turnovers giving them the scoring advantage. The chance to regain the lead began to get farther and farther out of reach from the Mystics as the Sun went on a 10-0 run to extend the lead to 11 in the fourth quarter.

The Mystics showed signs of one last burst of momentum, but time wasn’t on the home team’s side. The Sun defeated the Mystics by a score of 87-78. “It hurts because we know we can do so much more, but we have so much to work on this off season and I’m excited to see what we can come back and do next year” stated Mystics forward Emma Meeseman. Meeseman, who was recently named the league’s best three point shooter, ended the night with 18 points and 10 rebounds.

Both the Mystics and the Sun will head into offseason immediately following and will return to the hardwood next season. However, the Mystics refuse to hold their heads down as they have plenty of things to look forward to. The Mystics can expect a healthy starting point guard to return in Ivory Latta and they can also expect guard Bria Hartley to return. Emma Meeseman, Kaleah Cooper, and Stefanie Dolson are also expected to be at full strength for next season giving the Mystics a shining light on their hopes of a playoff run for next season.