WNBA 2010: Mystics subdue Sparks, 68-53, as Langhorne shines

Washington, June 24, 2010 – The Washington Mystics (8-4) won their fourth game in a row in a decidedly one-sided affair. With L.A. star Candace Parker out for the season, the Mystics were able to out-rebound the Sparks by 10 and had 18 more points in the paint for the game. But it was Crystal Langhorne who outplayed everyone else, scoring a career best 27 points, and grabbing 14 rebounds while adding 5 steals for the night. A noteworthy stat is that she made more than 70 percent (10 of 14) of her shots while the rest of the team shot only 33 percent (17 of 51).

At one point in the game, three of the 10 players on the floor were former teammates from the University of Maryland. The Sparks’ Kristi Toliver, and the Mystics’ Marissa Coleman and Langhorne were all part of the 2006 Women’s NCAA Division I Basketball Championship Team.

In the second quarter, the crowd erupted as John Wall was selected by the the Washington Wizards as the first overall pick in the NBA draft. After the game, “WALL: Game Changer” T-shirts were given to the exiting fans from the Verizon Center.

Throughout the 2010 Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) season, Meniscus will be covering a select number of the Washington Mystics’ home games at the Verizon Center in Washington, D.C. For tickets, go to http://www.wnba.com/mystics/tickets/ticketsindex.html.

all photos by Kwai Chan / Meniscus Magazine