:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/46858808/GettyImages-119980252.0.jpg)
The Storm's six game road trip following the All-Star Break got off to a rough start Wednesday as they were easily disposed of by the Washington Mystics 87-74. Washington got off to a sizzling start from the field, shooting 72% in the first quarter, tallying up 34 points in the process. The Storm on the other hand only managed to muster 14 first quarter points, knocking down only six of their 19 attempts. To add insult to injury, the Storm started the quarter by knocking down three of their first four shots, but were only able to knock down three more shots in the period.
The Mystics seemed to be able to score from wherever they wanted to in the first half, but did most of their damage from the three point line, knocking down six of their eight first half three point attempts. First time WNBA All-Star Stefanie Dolsan and Ivory Latta set the tone for Washington in the first half as they scored 11 and 13 points, respectively.
To their credit the Storm did battle back in the second half, cutting the Mystic's lead to 11 early in the third quarter. However, after a strong start, the Storm struggled once again and the Mystics took a 19 point lead into the fourth quarter.
The fourth quarter was much of the same as Washington enjoyed a double digit lead for the majority of the period. The Storm did cut the lead to single digits for a short time during garbage time, but it wasn't much more than a token fight as the Mystics cruised to an easy 87-74 win.
Latta finished with a game high 20 points as she knocked down four of her six three point attempts, while Dolsan finished with a near double-double, scoring 17 points and also pulling down nine rebounds.
Abbey Bishop led the way for the Storm as she scored 17 points and knocked down three of her seven attempts from deep. Ramu Tokashiki, Markeisha Gatling and Crystal Langhorne all contributed 10 points each. Tokashiki showed flashes today, but she also settled for too many tough contested mid range shots. It would be nice to see her get cleaner looks going forward.
What's next:
The Storm are now one game back of the San Antonio Stars for the fourth and final playoff spot, and will look to get back on track against the Connecticut Sun on Friday.