Against Shock, Mystics fall apart in final quarter

The Washington Mystics were able to shrug off a sluggish start Tuesday night, but a late perimeter assault from the Detroit Shock proved too much to handle.

Deanna Nolan and Shavonte Zellous combined for 39 points - including 29 after halftime - and the Shock became the latest team to erase a double-digit deficit against the Mystics in an 81-77 victory at Verizon Center.

“I thought our defense had played well to that point, but Nolan and Zellous got going, and you can’t give up 35 points [in the fourth quarter] and expect to win,” Washington coach Julie Plank said. “I think we just have to have a sense of urgency to get stops. This team is a little bit fragile, but we just have to come back and set our minds to things.”

Alana Beard led Washington with 17 points, but she missed two shots and turned the ball over on three consecutive possessions in the waning moments that put the Mystics in chase mode. Beard did hit her final two shots, but Detroit forward Taj McWilliams made four free throws and put in an offensive rebound to help seal the victory.

McWilliams finished with 17 points and 13 rebounds for the Shock, but Detroit rallied on the strength of superlative efforts from Nolan and Zellous. When Detroit decided to focus on opening space for the two guards, Washington’s defense had few answers.

Nolan struggled early but hit seven of eight shots in the second half; she led all scorers with 23 points. Zellous had nearly as many fouls (four) as points (five) through 30 minutes of play, but the Mystics couldn’t stay in front of her, and as a result, seven of her 12 fourth-quarter points came at the foul line.

“We did a great job in the second and the third, but we didn’t adjust as quickly as we should have to the players or the refs,” said Mystics guard Lindsey Harding, who had 12 points and a game-high eight assists.

The Mystics missed 16 of their first 19 shots from the field but stayed close by making frequent trips to the free throw line. Beard, the team’s leading scorer at 17.8 points a contest, didn’t connect on a field goal until the final minute of the first half.

She was basically trading baskets with Nolan in the third period, but she had more help as Washington opened a 12-point advantage late in the quarter. The comfortable lead was erased quickly in the fourth quarter, and eventually Washington’s inability to contain Nolan and Zellous was the difference.

“That’s just discipline on defense,” Harding said. “Every day and every game we have to learn how - we didn’t know if some things were fouls or not, but we’ve got to learn how they’re going to call it. If they’re going to call that, then don’t do it again.”

Added Plank: “I’m not sure how many people we were playing against, and I don’t want to get fined, but it was a little disappointing.”

Reserve forward Nakia Sanford, who had 14 points and eight rebounds in the previous meeting between the two teams four days prior, was at it again in the first half. While starters Monique Currie and Chasity Melvin scuffled, Sanford had nine points and four rebounds by the intermission and finished with 12 points and six boards.

The loss was the third in four games for the Mystics, who fell to 11-11 and missed an opportunity to secure second place outright in the Eastern Conference. Washington entertains Connecticut at Verizon on Friday, a team the Mystics now trail by a half-game for second in the East.

“I think you just have to get to a point where you get your confidence back and you know you can win,” Plank said. “You lose some games, and you wonder about that. This team hasn’t been to the playoffs in a while, and we’ve got to get our swagger back.”