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Recap: Delle Donne, Atkins lead Mystics past Sky for fourth-straight win

A 50-point first half set the tone for the Washington Mystics, who finished their road trip with a 4-0 record and improved to 8-3 on the season.

Washington Mystics v Los Angeles Sparks
Elena Delle Donne scored 22 points in Wednesday’s victory, leading the Mystics to their fourth consecutive win.
Photo by Katharine Lotze/Getty Images

Nearly nine thousand were in attendance for camp day in Chicago and a high-energy contest between the Sky and Mystics in which Washington prevailed, 81-74.

It wasn’t exactly a repeat of the last meeting between these two teams, which was a decidedly one-sided affair. But Chicago came out firing and was able to keep things close throughout most of the game, capitalizing on Washington miscues — 17 points off 10 turnovers — and limiting the Mystics’ success from behind the three-point line.

Washington entered Wednesday’s contest making 9.2 threes on 25.9 attempts per game, but shot just 2-for-15 from behind the arc against the Sky.

Chicago didn’t shoot the ball much better, though — 5-of-22 from three-point range and 17 turnovers that proved costly. Ultimately, the Mystics were able to hold on because of a clutch performance from a player the Sky is plenty familiar with: Elena Delle Donne.

Delle Donne scored an efficient 22 points (9-of-15 shooting), continuing the strong play that recently earned her a Player of the Week award. The Mystics also got solid contributions from Ariel Atkins (14 points, 6 rebounds, 5 steals and 3 blocks) and Natasha Cloud (33 minutes played without a turnover).

The Sky will be right back at it on Friday when the team travels to Seattle to play the shorthanded Storm. That game will be on NBA TV. Washington, meanwhile, will return home as it prepares for a nationally-televised game against the top-seeded Connecticut Sun on Saturday (ESPN).