The Washington Mystics beat the Seattle Storm, 99-79 in Everett, Wash. Washington took and early lead and proceeded to control virtually all facets of the game to the end. Elena Delle Donne and Ariel Atkins led the Mystics with 29 and 17 points each. Natasha Howard was the only Storm player to break double digits, with 26 points.
Game Notes
Elena Delle Donne dominates — What else is there to say about EDD at this point? She’s won numerous Player of the Week Awards and two consecutive WNBA Eastern Conference Player of the Month Awards for June and July. She has a shot at winning a second MVP award this season. And last night, she scored a comfortable 29 points on 9-of-15 shooting (3-of-4 from three) and was the leading rebounder for both teams with 12.
Ariel Atkins fills up the box score — At her best, Ariel Atkins is a player who can fill almost any gap. In addition to her signature tenacious defense, she was the team’s second leading scorer with 17 points, co-leader in assists with 5, and she grabbed 4 boards and 2 steals. She was also in her groove from behind the arc. That she can contribute this way as a second year player points to a bright, bright future.
The Mystics’ pass-happy offense continues — All eight players who got serious minutes had at least one assist, and six of the eight had two or more. Atkins and Toliver led the way with 5 each.
Next Game
The Mystics will play the Phoenix Mercury tomorrow at 6 p.m. ET.