Powell has 26 points, 11 rebounds to help Monarchs cruise past Mystics, 82-60

Powell leads Monarchs in rout of Mystics

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Nicole Powell had 26 points and 11 rebounds to help the Sacramento Monarchs rout the Washington Mystics 82-60 on Saturday night.

Rebekkah Brunson had 16 points and seven rebounds and Scholanda Robinson added 13 points for the Monarchs (9-18), who have won four of their last five games.

Sacramento, still with league’s worst record, trails fourth-place Minnesota and San Antonio by 2½ games for the last playoff spot in the Western Conference.

Crystal Langhorne had 16 points and 10 rebounds for the Mystics (13-14), who have lost six of their last eight and dropped to tie with Chicago for the fourth and final playoff spot in the East.

The Mystics shot 36 percent (21 for 59) from the field, including 0 for 9 on 3-pointers — Washington’s season low for field goals made and the first time it failed to make a 3.

Trailing by 15 early in the third quarter, the Mystics used a 9-3 run to pull to 50-44 on Lindsey Harding’s free throw with about 2:23 left in the period.

Hamchetou Maiga-Ba had a jumper, and Powell made two free throws and a layup to stretch the Monarchs’ lead back to 13 in the final minute of the third.

Washington got no closer than 10 the rest of the way. Powell made four straight free throws to push the lead to 67-49 with 6:02 left.

The Monarchs used a 9-0 run to take a 29-16 lead on Maiga-Ba’s jumper with 6:09 left in the second quarter. Brunson’s turnaround jumper stretched the lead to 14 nearly 3 minutes later.

Washington scored six consecutive points to pull to 37-29 on two free throws by Monique Currie in the opening minute of the second half.

However, the Monarchs scored the next seven points to stretch the lead to 15.