After almost a month of competition, the Washington Mystics, weighed down by injuries Shakira Austin And Brittney Sykeshave finally unlocked their victory counter against the Atlanta Dream.
The Mystics reached the playoffs last season by losing in the first round to Marine Johannès' New York Liberty. But the absences and the lack of experience to finish the matches clearly failed the Washington players, as did the departure of Natasha Cloud to Phoenix.
Against Atlanta, the entire team was skillful (17/31 from 3-point range), with eight players having scored at least one shot from behind the arc. The Mystics even finished the game within 3 points of the WNBA record.
“We had the impression that it was coming“, breath of relief the coach, Eric Thibault. “I said the other night that we're becoming a good basketball team and we just haven't had any wins to show it yet. We're playing better basketball now, for a while. We shoot well, but I think the quality of shots we get is mostly very good. »
A precious return
A relief shared by Julie Vanloo, the Belgian leader of the Mystics, who scored 11 points and added 4 assists coming off the bench. On several occasions, the Washington players lost close games and seeing the Atlanta Dream come back to five points at halftime, there was reason to doubt. But the efforts made upon returning from the locker room this time left no room for suspense in the “money time”.
“We played very well” judge Julie Vanloo. “ We have been so close so many times. We played very hard against very great teams. And I feel like we've worked so hard, and you have to be patient because hard work always pays off. »
The return of Brittney Sykes, after a ten-game absence due to a sprained ankle, played a big role in ending the 12-game losing streak. The best defender of the year in 2022 finished first in scoring with 18 points on 7/12 on shots and 4/6 from distance, all in just 14 minutes of play.
“She impacts the game on both ends of the court. You see it when the game is open »assures the coach. “It’s not something you see a lot in the league. We were able to give her the ball a few times and let her attack. There’s just an aggression to his game that’s a great trait to have. »
