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Thursday, Aug. 3 8:00pm ET
Holdsclaw keeps Mystics in race | |||||
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INDIANAPOLIS (AP) -- Washington lost four straight games and was dangerously close to elimination from the WNBA Eastern Conference playoff race. That's when Chamique Holdsclaw stepped in. Holdsclaw had 22 points and 11 rebounds Thursday night as the Mystics snapped their losing streak with a 75-71 victory over the Indiana Fever. The win pulled the Mystics (12-16) into a tie for fourth with Detroit, which plays Washington on Friday. Four teams make the playoffs in each conference. The Mystics hold the tiebreaker edge -- but a loss Friday would leave the Mystics a game behind Detroit with three to play. "We had to win," Holdsclaw said after hitting 10 of 19 field goals and grabbing eight defensive rebounds en route to her fourth double-double of the season. "I just tried to do what I could -- pass the ball to an open teammate, get a rebound, take the shot -- whatever we needed," she said. "This gives us a lot of confidence, going into a situation where we're playing must-win games." Murriel Page scored 13 points and Vicky Bullett 12 for Washington. The Mystics outscored Indiana 15-4 in a 10-minute span of the second half to rally from a six-point deficit and take a 66-61 lead with 6:11 remaining. Rita Williams scored 19 points for Indiana (7-21). Kara Wolters had 15 points and eight rebounds, and Alicia Thompson added 11 points for the Fever. Indiana led 61-57 with 10:52 remaining, then missed seven consecutive shots and had a shot-clock violation. Washington scored nine points during that stretch to complete its comeback. Indiana, trailing 72-69, had one last chance, but Thompson missed a 3-point shot with 7.2 seconds remaining. "I felt I had a good look, but I rushed the shot. I could have gotten my feet set, but I was impatient," Thompson said. That sort of ending is all too familiar to Fever coach Anne Donovan. "It's tough to go out and play hard every night and lose close games," Donovan said. "We're playing hard, we've got quality people. We just have to finish." | ALSO SEE WNBA Scoreboard Mystics plane evacuated after mystery substance drips on passenger
RECAPS Cleveland 74 Utah 71
Washington 75 AUDIO/VIDEO   Rita Williams led the Indiana offense with 19 points in a losing effort.avi: 735 k RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1 | |||||