Mystics 104, Sun 67: You can't give up 104 points to the Mystics

 Sonia Cintron took Washington’s opening possession and drove without much resistance to the rim for a layup. The second time the Mystics got the ball, it was fellow rookie Kiki Iriafen who found herself with an easy bucket. Washington made its first eight shots from the field and none of them were outside five feet from the hoop.

Lucy Olsen finally hit a three midway through the second quarter, but it would be the Mystics only make from behind the arc in the first half (1-for-5). Still, somehow Washington - who entered 10th in the WNBA offensive efficiency - put up 50 points before halftime en route to a 104-67 laugher at CareFirst Arena.


And the thing is, it’s not like Connecticut didn’t know what was coming. If an amateur mediocre blogger like me can figure out that the Mystics are not very good at shooting, generally don’t like to shoot threes, and make whatever living they can on offense at the free throw line.


And yet Washington show 30-for-45 from inside the arc (which was actually better until garbage time) and its 36-9 advantage at the free throw line was the biggest in the WNBA since 2015.


It’s the third time already this season Connecticut has given up 100 points and they are now the second team in WNBA history (and the first since 1998) to lose multiple games by 37 or more, and the Sun did it on back-to-back Sundays.


Even with all that, it’s one thing to give up 100 points to the Liberty, who hope to put together one of the more dominant seasons the W has ever seen and were hitting on all cylinders. It’s a complete other thing to do it against a Washington team that is the youngest in the league and didn’t even bother to shoot from outside five feet for most of the afternoon. 


There was no need, and - despite being shorthanded and all the turnover the Sun faced - it was an embarrassing defensive performance and should make for a long seven days before their next game against Chicago. 


What else did we learn from a game that was never really close after the second quarter?:




 

  1. There didn’t seem to be a plan on defense - I gave two possible scenarios in the preview for dealing with the absence of Olivia Nelson-Ododa, and Rachid Meziane went with neither, giving Haley Peters the start (at 32, she was the oldest WNBA player to make her first career start since Marion Jones in 2010). But it was a disaster defensively pretty much from the opening tip. Kariata Diaby didn’t arrive on the scene until late in the first quarter, Rivers did not look as aggressive as she has been and the Sun put Brittany Sykes on the free throw line 15 times. That’s how you give up 104 points to a poor offensive team.

  2. Might be a little worried about Aneesah Morrow - A few people have now pointed out that listing Morrow at 6-foot-1 might be a little generous and it’s shown in the limited minutes she’s gotten this season. Morrow did not get a rebound in 17 minutes, and Meziane obviously doesn’t trust her at the 4 right now. Her offensive game away from the basket is not good enough to get her major minutes at the 3 (especially on the Sun), so Morrow is caught in a bit of limbo at the moment. With that said, Connecticut does not look like a contender (understatement), so Morrow should be allowed to play through some things to see how she can improve. It’s a tough league for rookies.

  3. Not as worried about the offense -  The second half was a tough watch, but the Sun actually stayed in the game for much of the first half against a pretty good defensive squad. Marina Mabrey actually finished with 15 points, 8 assists, and 7 rebounds before fouling out and new addition Jaelyn Brown did what Morrow couldn’t offensively, hitting a couple of three-pointers of her own. We know the Sun are going to have a tough time offensively, but defensive effort should be a minimum, hopefully.


Player of the game:  Jacy Sheldon - Sheldon tied Mabrey for the team scoring lead with 15, shot 6-for-8 from the field (and 3-for-5 from behind the arc) with not turning the ball over in 24 minutes. Ironically, Sheldon was also Player of the game last Sunday against New York, so the Sun could use some contributions from Sheldon in non-blowouts.


Inside the numbers : 6 -  Number of rebounds Connecticut had by players not named Tina Charles or Marina Mabrey. Like for the entire game, as the Sun got outrebounded 42-22. Something to note with Angel Reese and Kamilla Cardoso coming to town likely without a point guard next week.


Under the radar: To start the second half, Rivers started on Sykes, but fouled her on the first possession, leading Meziane to switch Bria Hartley on Sykes, but that led to a couple of layups on the next few possessions. I think they need to stick with Rivers (foul trouble notwithstanding) on the opponents’ best players.

(There was also that bizarre play right at the end where Brown lost her shoe, then threw it into the bench to get a whistle.)


Quotable:  Coming soon


Next up: Sunday vs. Chicago, Noon

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