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Mystics vs. Wings final score: Washington loses second straight, 87-77

By Elle Ward
Stewart W. Small

In the second game of the season, the Washington Mystics fell 87-77 to the Dallas Wings. But before you hit the panic button, the Mystics had nine players available, and once again it showed. Despite the loss, Washington still showed some positive signs.

Tayler Hill stood out once again.

Hill only shot 33 percent from the floor, but she once again scored 20 points. Clearly her off-season with Coach Thibault is paying dividends, and we're now seeing just how good Hill can be in D.C.

The WHEW Player of the night: Emma Meesseman

After a lackluster season debut last Saturday, Meesseman scored 19 points, grabbed seven rebounds, and dished three assists.

It's not just her production, but Meesseman also kept the team in the game. Howard Megdal summed it up here:

With seven minutes left in the fourth quarter, Meesseman was subbed in and kept the game competitive.

The Perplexing: Stefanie Dolson

The 2015 WNBA All-Star could not get in sync. I swear, though, at 2:19 left in the third quarter, Meesseman drew two defenders and kicked it out to Big Mama Stef for the two, and I had a flashback to their All Star connection last year. It went away.

I am not ready to judge her performances, the data sample is too small, but I am looking forward to her flexing in the near future.

Where's the Defense?

I know we are missing Tierra Ruffin-Pratt, but there were some very uncharacteristic lapses, like giving up five points in five seconds after pulling within seven to end the third quarter. BRUTAL.

The Ugly

The Mystics could not stop missing easy bunnies. There is no reason why we missed so many shots in transition and in the paint. That has got to be dealt with. The Mystics once again had turnover issues where they committed 15 tonightwhile forcing only 12.

The verdict

Again, we were a beat behind. But the Mystics showed flashes of the playoff team we remember from 2015. And Hill is now showing us the type of player she can be over the long haul.