Sky 92, Mystics 86

With a chance to put some much-needed distance between themselves and one of their Eastern Conference foes, the Mystics let this one slip right through their fingers with two major gaffes late in the game.

Things looked promising as Washington took the lead, 85-84, on Crystal Langhorne's jump shot with 40 seconds left.

On Washington's next possession, Matee Ajavon, who led the Mystics with a career-high 32 points, fell as she was driving to the basket and Chicago's Tamera Young stole the ball with 20.9 seconds remaining and the Mystics down, 86-85.

Monique Currie fouled Young on the other end and Young sunk both free throws to extend Chicago's lead to 88-85.

Mystics point guard Lindsey Harding brought the ball upcourt on the ensuing play, but as she crossed under the basket, she was whistled for stepping out of bounds on the baseline -- the team's second turnover in as many possessions.

With the win, the Sky erased the Mystics' one-game advantage in the standings with both teams now locked at 15-16. Detroit topped league-leading Indiana on Friday night, 70-63, to improve to 15-15 and vaulted past Washington and Chicago and into third place in the East.

After polishing off the Mystics, Young, who was one of five Sky players to score in double digits, said her team knew the stakes were high in its showdown with Washington.

"We knew this game was important and this was a big game, so we knew during the crunch time we had to make big shots and we had to make big plays and everybody stepped up and that's what we did tonight," she said.

Playing for the second straight game without all-star guard Alana Beard (sprained left ankle), the Mystics got monstrous contributions from her replacement, Ajavon (10 of 20 from the field), and Langhorne (23 points on 8-of-11 shooting). But that wasn't enough in a contest that was slowed by 54 fouls.

The loss also pulled the Mystics into a tie with Chicago in their season series with two wins apiece. So if the teams finish tied at the end of the regular season, the tiebreaker would move to the teams' records against Eastern Conference foes.

Washington's push for a playoff berth doesn't get any easier as it travels to Indiana to face the Fever, which has already clinched the top seed in the East and is 3-0 against the Mystics this season. Sunday's matchup with Indiana will be Washington's third game in four days.

For more on Friday night's contest check out the recap and box score.

Okay readers, time for you to get out your crystal ball: With three games left in the regular season (at Indiana, vs. Atlanta and at New York) how many more wins will the Mystics tally? And what place do you see them finishing in the East?

By Melissa Rosenberg  |  September 4, 2009; 10:45 PM ET
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