Aerial Powers was scheduled to start for the Washington Mystics on Tuesday. But seconds before tipoff, Shatori Walker-Kimbrough took her place on the court instead.
Was it a sudden injury or illness? Actually, Powers realized she was wearing her red leggings, when the Mystics’ home uniform required black. She tried slipping them off from under her shorts, but wisely changed course.
“We had a little uniform malfunction,” Mystics coach Mike Thibault said later with a grin, “and she had to come back in the locker room and get the uniform taken care of … She couldn’t have been running out on the court, let’s put it that way.”
It was important for Powers to avoid a potential uniform violation the WNBA could have handed down. But she followed her near-mishap by putting up a memorable scoring performance.
Powers led all scorers with 20 points and the Mystics sailed to a 95-66 win over the Los Angeles Sparks in a battle of first versus third in the WNBA — a game sure to have implications in the race for top playoff seeding.
Four other Mystics scored in double figures. Natasha Cloud posted 15 points with three 3-pointers. Elena Delle Donne scored 14 on just six shots from the field and 24 minutes of work. Emma Meesseman added 12 points and Ariel Atkins had 10.
The Mystics (22-8) are seeking a top-two seed that affords them a double-bye in the postseason. With Tuesday’s win, they remained atop the WNBA standings — ahead of second-place Connecticut — and they created more space between themselves and Los Angeles, another challenger for the top two.
Four quick 3-pointers put Washington ahead right away as the Mystics went on to score 33 first-quarter points, a season high. Washington gradually built a 54-37 halftime lead with 13 points from Cloud and 12 from Delle Donne. It helped that the Sparks missed their first 10 field goal attempts of the second quarter.
Both teams had a sloppy third period, but Powers rose to the occasion and carried the Mystics along.
She scored their first 11 points of the quarter and finished the period with 13. The small forward went 6-for-7 in three trips to the free throw line, and drained a 3-pointer in transition off a Delle Donne steal that put Washington ahead by 25.
“I was just able to get it going that way, just some tips, rebounds,” Powers said. “It kind of fell in my hands — the ball kind of fell in my hands and I knocked a few shots down.”
That lead grew to 36 by the end of the third, all but securing Washington’s latest blowout win. Bench players like Myisha Hines-Allen, Shey Peddy and Kim Mestdagh did much more than stretch their legs, playing most of the fourth-quarter garbage time.
Washington cruised despite guard Kristi Toliver being sidelined for a seventh straight game with a knee injury.
The Mystics travel to Dallas on Saturday and New York on Sept. 3 before playing their final two games of the regular season at home.
Before the game, the WNBA honored Cloud with the Dawn Staley Community Leadership Award for “outstanding efforts in the community.” Cloud has worked with children and underprivileged families in the District, particularly in Ward 8, where the Mystics’ new Entertainment and Sports Arena is located.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.