Mystics go for season sweep of Fever
The Washington Mystics will try to complete a four-game season sweep over the Indiana Fever when the teams meet for the final time of the regular season Sunday evening in Indianapolis. Washington (16-12) has won its first three matchups with the Fever by a combined total of 52 points, or an average of 17.3 points per game. The Mystics are in contention to make the playoffs for the fourth time in the past five seasons and cannot afford to stumble down the stretch. However, the Mystics have encountered adversity in recent weeks. Star forward Elena Delle Donne has been out since July 30 because of surgery to repair a torn ligament in her left thumb, and guard Tayler Hill is out for the rest of the season because of a torn ACL in her right knee. Washington has lost back-to-back games and will try to avoid its second three-game losing streak of the year. The Mystics are coming off a 95-62 loss to the Los Angeles Sparks on Wednesday. "We have to stay positive, we have to stay together," Washington guard Ivory Latta said to the team's official website. "That's the main thing. Going through these ups and downs, we've got to stay together as a team. We've got to go out there and continue to fight hard for each other. "It's going to work out for us. We may not see it right now, but we've got to go to Indiana and play a really good team. ... We've just got to bring that energy and bring that passion." Indiana (9-20) will look to play the role of spoiler now that its postseason hopes are erased. If a bright spot exists for the Fever, it is that they have fared decently well at home with a 6-7 record. The Fever are coming off a record-setting loss to the Minnesota Lynx on Friday night. The big, physical Lynx crushed the Fever for a 59-point win -- the largest margin of victory in WNBA history. "(The Lynx) were able to do anything they wanted after about 90 seconds," Fever coach Pokey Chatman said on the team's official website. "They were hungry. They pounded the ball down low ... and they asserted their will." The remainder of the regular season will not get any easier for Indiana, which will be without guard Tiffany Mitchell because of torn cartilage and a bone bruise in her right knee. Mitchell ranked fourth on the team, averaging 10.3 points in 27 games (nine starts) this season. Indiana has lost three games in a row and eight of the past nine. |