Moore struggles as Mystics decimate Lynx in 18-point rout

The Washington Mystics swept the Minnesota Lynx's on their home court, by the final score of 79-61.  This was a big series for Minnesota as expressed by Head Coach Cheryl Reeve and Sylvia Fowles in pregame interviews.

Minnesota's game plan was to come out with a quick punch, catch Washington on their heels and play with pace. Well, that sort of happened, as Minnesota mainly sprinkled moments of greatness throughout the game and played catch-up.

The first quarter started off with a bang, each team fighting for every possession, the Lynx jumped on the Mystics early with a 7-2 run and shooting 4-5 from the field.

Washington's Taylor Hill, a Minnesota native, answered by dropping two three-pointers and helped her team reclaim the lead 12-9 with four minutes left.

The pace of the game was working to Minnesota's advantage and pushed Washington to make turnovers, but the Lynx were unable to convert the gifts bestowed upon them.

Minnesota got off to a great start hitting 6 of their first 11 shots but slowly went cold.

With the Lynx's Maya Moore still scoreless in the second quarter, she looked for another way to contribute. Moore started helping her team by bringing up the ball and create ball movement, but they were too concerned with finding the right pass and not the right shot. Meanwhile, the Mystics' Stefanie Dolson hit a 17-foot jumper to extend Washington's lead 26-21.

The second half started choppy with quick possessions and bursts of energy from both teams. Washington's Ivory Latta glided in and out of the lane with her sharp handles and dished the ball well to teammate Kara Lawson, who scored 20 points for the night. The two found each other in all the right places and extended Mystics lead to 11,  55-44.

Minnesota was creating opportunities to score, but they only shot 34% on the night, which is the lowest shooting percentage for the team all year. Sylvia Fowles said the team recognizes they have an issue putting together a solid 40 minutes of play.

Unfortunately, at this late juncture, there isn't much room to still be working out the kinks. Both teams eventually cleared their benches in the fourth quarter, and Washington cruised to an easy 18-point victory over Minnesota.