|
 |   |
|
EVENTS Fantasy Central Inside Game Multimedia Central Statitudes Your Turn Message Boards Email Newsletters Golf Guide Cities Work in Sports
CNNSI.com GROUP
COMMERCE |  |
MIAMI (Ticker) -- All-Star guard Nikki McCray scored 13 of her 16 points in the second half as the Washington Mystics recovered from a slow start to overcome the expansion Miami Sol, 60-48, and snap their losing streak at four games. Murriel Page scored 13 points and grabbed nine rebounds and Vicky Bullett added 11 and 12 rebounds, helping the Mystics avoid back-to-back losses to expansion teams. Washington was pounded 81-58 by Indiana on Wednesday night. "This win was huge, but we have to continue to aim higher," McCray said. "Whenever you lose four in a row you have to look within yourselves and I think we did that tonight." The Mystics won despite getting a season-low six points from Chamique Holdsclaw. The All-Star forward, whose previous low was eight June 24 against Detroit, hit 3-of-9 from the floor but grabbed nine rebounds. The Mystics trailed much of the first half before making a run that put them ahead to stay. They could not put away the Sol until McCray sparked a 10-4 surge late in the second half that gave them a double-digit lead. McCray capped the second-half run when she was fouled as she drove and hit a pump-fake shot in the lane. The free throw gave the Mystics a 49-38 lead with 4:47 left. Miami, which had won two straight at American Airlines Arena, could get no closer than nine points the rest of the way. "I challenged myself to guard the best player on the other team," said McCray, who played on the U.S. Olympic basketball team that won the gold medal in Atlanta. "I switched guarding between (Sheri) Sam and (Katrina) Colleton and I think I lived up to the challenge. The team followed my lead tonight." Sam and Colleton scored 13 points apiece and Sharon Manning added eight for the Sol, who continue to lead the league for fewest points allowed (62.0) but shot just 27 percent (17-of-62). "No matter how good our defense is, it will be hard to win games with that low a shooting percentage," Sol guard Kisha Ford said. The Mystics took the biggest lead of the first half for either team when McCray fed Page for a layup that made it 20-14 with 6:02 left. The basket capped a 9-2 run by Washington. The Sol scored the next four points thanks to a pair of turnovers by the Mystics and could have gone on a 6-0 run, but Marlies Askamp went 2-for-4 from the line.
|
