The Washington Mystics’ late rally came up short as they fell to the Atlanta Dream 80-77 on Sunday afternoon.

Washington opened the game on a 16-2 run and closed the game on a 13-6 run, but the game was lost in the middle, particularly in the second quarter. After taking an early double-digit lead, the Mystics only scored 10 points in the second quarter, which allowed the Dream to go on their own run to take the lead going into halftime.

The Mystics got back on track in the second half, but after Tiarra Hawkins put Washington in the lead with a layup to start the fourth quarter, the wheels fell off again as they gave up 15-4 which gave the Dream the cushion they needed to hold of the Mystics’ late push.

Washington had the ball with a chance to take the lead with under ten seconds left, but Kristi Toliver missed a midrange jumper and the Dream were able to ice the game at the free throw line.

The Mystics are now tied with the Sparks for third place in the WNBA standings, just a half-game ahead of the Lynx, Wings, and Dream, who are now right back in the thick of the playoff race after two wins over Washington in less than a week.

Game Notes

• Ariel Atkins followed up the best scoring night of her young career with a dud. She was just 3-of-7 from the field, missed both of her 3-pointers, and fouled out in under 22 minutes of playing time. She also struggled in Wednesday’s loss at home to the Dream. Clearly, Atlanta has given her some issues that other teams have not. We’ll see if Washington can figure out a counter before their final head-to-head meeting at the end of the month.
• While it wasn’t Atkins’ best game, the Mystics got a boost off the bench from Monique Currie, who had 12 points and 8 rebounds in less than 16 minutes. Washington wouldn’t have kept it as close as they did without her spark off the bench.
• Elena Delle Donne didn’t have her most efficient game offensively, which y’know, can happen, especially on the road. But she made up for an off night with some impressive interior defense which helped Washington mount their late comeback. She finished with three blocks, including two in the fourth quarter to give Washington a shot at stealing the win.