Mystics find formula to topple Sky 95-78

Mystics topple Sky 95-78

ROSEMONT, Ill. — Lindsey Harding thought she was playing a bit too passive on Friday.

So the Mystics’ guard got going in the third quarter, and it helped the Washington Mystics topple the Chicago Sky 95-78 on Friday.

“In the second half I decided to be more aggressive and play to my strength which is penetrating,” said Harding, who scored 13 third-quarter points and finished with a game-high 25. “They did a great job closing in on me which forced me to step up and hit some shots.”

Harding was 10 of 15 from the field for the game while the team was 37 of 60 (61.7 percent).

The Sky’s defense didn’t have much of an answer for Harding.

“Harding’s quick,” Chicago guard Jia Perkins said. “You can’t expect to have somebody to stand in front of her and not have any help. So we (needed to) to crowd the paint and we didn’t do that.”

The Mystics (5-4) have won two of their past three. Chicago dropped to 4-6 with its second straight loss.

Harding’s big quarter helped the Mystics to a 69-60 lead entering the final 10 minutes.

“She likes when people switch on her,” Mystics coach Julie Plank said. “She had some mismatches a lot of times and we tried to spread it out when she got the switch. She had a great second half.”

Sylvia Fowles paced Chicago with 23 points while Perkins had 19 and Dominique Canty added 15. The Sky were 28 of 60 from the field (46.7 percent).

Joining Harding in double figures were Monique Currie with 22 points while Matee Ajavon and Sanford had 14 and 10 points, respectively.

“It was good to see us pass the ball, move the ball a little bit better,” Plank said. “This was our best shooting and also our best passing night. I thought we did share the ball well and that led to some easy baskets.”

Washington used a 10-0 run to open a 25-14 first-quarter lead, forcing the Sky to play catch-up the rest of the way.

Chicago used an 11-2 run — including eight points from Perkins — to slice the deficit to 45-42 by halftime. But Nakia Sanford hit back-to-back baskets to start the third as Washington used an 8-0 run to restore a double-digit lead.