Washington Mystics win Game 1 of the WNBA Finals

The Washington Mystics started off the 2019 WNBA Finals on the right foot securing a 95-86 win in game one against the Connecticut Sun. The win gives the Mystics their first WNBA Finals win in franchise history as they were swept in their first ever WNBA Finals appearance last year against the Seattle Storm.

The Mystics got off to a hot start in the game taking a 30-17 lead by the end of the first quarter. The Mystics would hold the lead for the entire game holding their biggest lead in the game in the third quarter at 17 points. The Sun fought valiantly down the stretch cutting the Mystics lead to as low as four in the fourth quarter but were never able to take the lead in the game.

The shooting numbers were key for the Mystics in the win as they shot a better percentage from the field than the Sun on less attempts. The Mystics shot 54% from the field going 34/63 and 47% from three-point range going 10/21 compared to the Sun’s 48% from the field on 33/68 shooting and 39% from three-point range on 9/23 shooting. The Mystics ability to force fouls on the Sun was also key as they forced the Sun to commit 21 fouls to their 14 shooting 21 free throws making 17 compared to the Sun shooting 14 free throws and making 11 of them.

The Mystics were led by MVP forward Elena Delle Donne who scored 22 points in the game to go along with 10 rebounds, five assists and two blocks. This game Elena Delle Donne reached a milestone scoring her 600th career point in the WNBA Playoffs.

Elena Double-Double stays puttin’ up points in the playoffs!@De11eDonne has now surpassed 600 Career Playoff Points.#RunItBack #TogetherDC pic.twitter.com/L67Oxrs5sD

— Washington Mystics (@WashMystics) September 29, 2019

Elena Delle Donne was one of five players for the Mystics to score in double digits in the game. Mystics forward Ariel Atkins had 21 points in the game along with five rebounds and three steals. Mystics’ guards Kristi Toliver and Natasha Cloud both had 18 and 13 points respectively with Cloud adding seven assists, four rebounds and three steals. Mystics forward Meesseman came off the bench to score 11 points.

The Sun were led by guard Courtney Williams who led the game in scoring with 26 points to go along with five rebounds and five assists. Sun forward Alyssa Thomas had an all-around performance with 20 points, six rebounds, six assists and five steals.

The Mystics will take a 2-0 series lead this Tuesday evening before the series shifts to Connecticut for game three.