The Washington Mystics (14-6) beat the Seattle Storm (12-10) 99-79 on Friday night. Seattle lost its second consecutive game, while Washington won its fifth straight.
Washington took early control, racing to a quick 23-12 lead after the first quarter. This game was an old-fashioned blowout from start to finish since Washington never trailed.
The Mystics went on an offensive tear, shooting 54.8 percent. They also made 13-of-22 three-point shots while Seattle only shot 3-of-22 from deep.
☁️ 9 with the corner 3 pic.twitter.com/0yh2rZ9wwL
— Washington Mystics (@WashMystics) August 3, 2019
STEP BACK THREEEEE #ToliverThings pic.twitter.com/nJTzb26JOi
— Washington Mystics (@WashMystics) August 3, 2019
Elena Delle Donne led the way for Washington, scoring 29 points and grabbing 12 rebounds. It was her fourth 20-point game in her last five. Ariel Atkins added 17 points and Emma Meesseman scored 13 points on 6-of-8 shooting.
Though the Storm were outmatched, Natasha Howard* still came up big with 26 points on 11-of-19 shooting. She also added six rebounds, three steals and three blocks.
No other Storm players scored in double digits.
@nhoward1033#WeRepSeattle pic.twitter.com/XFRxnSbkrq
— Seattle Storm (@seattlestorm) August 3, 2019
Washington received four technical fouls, including two on Tianna Hawkins, who was ejected in the fourth quarter. Natasha Cloud and head coach Mike Thibault also received technical fouls.
Next up
The Storm go on the road to play the Los Angeles Sparks on Sunday, Aug. 4. Tipoff is at 5 p.m. ET.
The Mystics continue their three-game road trip against the Phoenix Mercury on Sunday, Aug. 4. Tipoff is at 6 p.m. ET.
Swish Appeal is aware of the domestic violence allegations against Natasha Howard. You can find more information here: https://theathletic.com/1078202/2019/07/16/is-storm-wnbas-response-to-domestic-violence-claims-against-natasha-howard-enough/