Mystics 87, Monarchs 73

Although they aren't quite to the halfway point of the season -- that comes Tuesday in Indiana -- the Mystics aced one of their midterm exams by controlling Sunday's contest against Sacramento. Heading into the weekend, this seemed like a trap game, the Mystics were anxious to build momentum and close out their longest homestand of the season with a win but they would need to be extremely self-motivated against the league's worst club.

After racing to a 30-13 lead in the first quarter, it seemed pretty clear that the Mystics weren't going to succumb to the possible trap. While that lead was their largest, and did slip away, there wasn't really any time where Sacramento seized control of the game -- a sign that the Mystics may be maturing and learning from their early mishaps.

"I think we did a really good job controlling the game," Crystal Langhorne said. "I think a lot of the early games we were making silly mistakes down the stretch, and you can tell we're getting used to each other. When certain people have the ball in certain situations, we just how to handle things and what to do."

Before we get to notes from today's game, colleague Mike Wise penned a column about the Mystics' decision to not show a KissCam on the scoreboard during games and discusses its roots in a larger issue of the team -- and the WNBA -- not embracing its lesbian following.

"Why don't they have a KissCam at Mystics games?" a young friend asked last week, which preceded an awkward pause and an even more awkward answer.

Really, why doesn't the inclusive WNBA franchise in the nation's capital, of all places, send their video cameramen and camerawomen to find unsuspecting couples in the stands during timeouts and capture their mugs for all of Verizon Center's crowd to see? And wait for the couple's reaction, which usually involves a polite, if awkward, peck on the lips.

Just like they do at NBA games and other sporting events in which the participants are men.

"We got a lot of kids here," Sheila Johnson, the Mystics' managing partner, said, when asked last week at a game. "We just don't find it appropriate."

Understood is that women's professional basketball has two major fan bases: dads and daughters, and lesbians. The KissCam issue, frivolous on its surface, puts the effort to cater to both audiences squarely at odds.

You can check out the full column here.

On to notes from Sunday's game:

*Lindsey Harding was the primary catalyst for that explosive first quarter. She led the Mystics with 10 points and I don't think I was the only one wondering how many times Sacramento was going to let her go end-to-end. I counted four coast-to-coast trips for Harding in the opening frame.

*Considering that Harding leads the WNBA in playing time, it makes sense that this game was an opportunity for backup point guard Nikki Blue to get time on the floor and also give Alana Beard and Matee Ajavon turns running the point. But when Harding was given a roughly four-minute rest in the second quarter, the Mystics' offense was its most out of sync and Sacramento was able to get itself back in the game.

That quarter alone really seemed to illustrate how vital Harding has become to the Mystics' success and ability to get into a rhythm.

*While Monique Currie appears to still be searching for her confidence she had that big three-pointer in the waning minutes to give the Mystics a 10-point lead at the end of the game. She finished with 12 points for her first double-digit scoring effort since June 25 against Phoenix.

*Marissa Coleman also made her presence known with two three-pointers that seemed to tell the Mystics coaching staff that the rookie will indeed get her swagger back after suffering that high-ankle sprain.

*Almost quietly, Langhorne continues to put up impressive numbers with game highs in points (19) and rebounds (eight). She played a team-high 34 minutes 46 seconds.

*If you thought the game was moving at a slower tempo, well, you're right. Because Sacramento prefers to pressure an opponent's guards on the perimeter and break up passes, Coach Juile Plank let the Mystics improvise rather than focusing on specific plays.

"I like to play faster but I know that it was best to go pick and roll to let Lindsay create, Alana create," Plank said. "They were showing really hard and I just thought we had to play out of it -- not run plays as much, but run some pick and rolls and just let them play."

By Katie Carrera  |  July 26, 2009; 9:06 PM ET
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