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Smith helps Mystics rally past Sky 65-61 in OT

Jun 20, 2010 - 3:20 AM WASHINGTON(AP) -- After enduring their lowest-scoring first half of the season, the Washington Mystics found a way to win with a strong defensive effort in the second half and some clutch shots down the stretch.

Katie Smith scored five of her season-high 17 points in overtime as the Mystics rallied for a 65-61 victory over the Chicago Sky on Saturday night. Washington rallied from 13 points down in the first half and scored the final four points of regulation to tie the score.

"We didn't start the game well offensively or defensively, (but) we stayed close enough," said Smith, who scored 15 points after halftime. "We knew that if we got it together and got our defense rolling and got a little energy, we could make a run and be right back in the ball game. We did that and were able to finish it off."

Crystal Langhorne's putback gave the Mystics the lead for good in overtime and Lindsey Harding made two free throws to put them up 59-55 with 3:19 to go. Smith hit a jumper with the shot clock winding down and then made a deep 3 from the right wing to increase Washington's lead to 64-59 with 40.9 seconds left.

Nakia Sanford scored 11 points and Matee Ajavon added 10 for the Mystics (7-4), who matched a season high with their third straight win. Washington, which trailed 32-20 at halftime, finished a season-low 33.8-percent (22 for-65) from the field.

"They came out doing the things they needed to and we didn't," said Sanford, who had five offensive rebounds in the second half before fouling out in overtime. "Luckily the second half we were able to turn that around and close the game out."

Sylvia Fowles scored 17 points and Jia Perkins and rookie Epiphanny Prince added 10 each for the Sky (4-8), who have lost four straight for the second time this season. Chicago opened the season with four losses, then won four in a row before their current skid.

"We have our ups and downs," Fowles said about the Sky's up-and-down season. "This person played good, this person was off. When we are on the same page, we are fine, but we just to have find our groove as a team and stop being individuals."

Both teams committed turnovers in the final minute of regulation with the Sky holding a 52-50 lead. Ajavon knocked the ball away from Fowles near half court and raced in for the tying basket with 15.8 seconds left. Perkins them missed a potential winning 3-point shot with 1 second left.

Mystics leading scorer Monique Currie finished with six points - nearly 12 below her average coming in - as Washington matched its season-low scoring total. Currie however remained aggressive on the glass and matched Sanford with a team-leading five offensive rebounds and the Mystics held a 16-2 advantage in second-chance points.

"We gave up 16 offensive rebounds and I think 10 or 11 in the second half," Sky coach Steve Key said. "We did a very good job of defending them, but we just didn't clean up the play and finish it."

After Erin Thorn's 3 gave Chicago a 40-29 lead with under 4 minutes left in the third, the Mystics scored the next 13 points to take a two-point lead on Currie's layup 18 seconds into the fourth quarter.

Eight days earlier, the Mystics had season-highs in scoring (95) and field-goal shooting (61.7 percent) in a 17-point win at Chicago. Playing for the first time in a week in the rematch, Washington was sluggish from the start, scoring only nine points in the first quarter on the way to a season-low 20 points in the first half.