It had all the makings of a rough road for the Mystics. In the six-game trip that began tonight, Washington was facing one of the better teams in the league in Minnesota, which had won five of its last six games. Instead, things started smoothly, and the Mystics won for the first time in five games, defeating the Lynx, 60-55, at Target Center before a crowd of 10,098. The Mystics came out loose and stayed that way. Thursday's day off, awarded by Coach Nancy Darsch, appeared to have helped the club –as did an opportunistic defense. "We tried to break the cycle for how bad we have been feeling of late," Darsch said. "[The players] were tired. We needed a change." Part of that change included going to the Mall of America and having dinner together as a team for the first time this season. And it was a team effort that helped stave off several Lynx comebacks. Nikki McCray led the Mystics (6-13) with 19 points and four assists, and Chamique Holdsclaw added 16 points. Forward Murriel Page had 10 points.
Special to The Washington Post
Saturday, July 24, 1999; Page D4
~ photo by AP ~
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