Mystics at Sun final score: Washington blows early first-half lead in 74-72 overtime loss

When Elena Delle Donne isn’t playing for the Washington Mystics, other teams know that they have a better chance of coming out with a win. That’s what happened today as the Connecticut Sun defeated Washington, 74-72 at the Mohegan Sun Arena in overtime.

The first half was all-Mystics, all the way. Ariel Atkins shot 5-of-5 from the field for 14 of her team-high 28 points and Washington had a 49-34 lead. Things looked bright for a comfortable victory.

Connecticut came back in the third quarter to cut the lead down to 5. In the period, the Mystics were held to 22.2 percent shooting and were outscored 20-10. Alyssa Thomas got hot, scoring 8 points in the third and 23 to lead Connecticut.

In the fourth quarter, both teams couldn’t get any offense going, but the Mystics committed nine turnovers in that period alone. To be frank, the Sun were leading at some points late in regulation, but the score was ultimately tied 66-all, forcing extra time.

Finally, in overtime, the Mystics continued to struggle offensively, but Alysha Clark scored 4 of Washington’s six points in the extra five minutes. Clark finished with 13 points overall. Washington never led in OT.

The Mystics’ next game is on Wednesday when they head on the road to play the Atlanta Dream. Tip-off is at 8 p.m. ET. See you then.