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Beard leads Mystics over Sun with 18 points in fourth quarter

Aug 15, 2007 - 2:05 AM WASHINGTON (Ticker) -- Alana Beard scored a game-high 28 points, including the final 18, as the Washington Mystics edged the Connecticut Sun, 65-64, on Tuesday.

After trailing for three quarters, the Mystics took the lead, 49-48, on Beard's jumper with 9:25 left in the game. Washington held the lead until the 2:35 mark when Ashja Jones made two free throws to give the Sun a 60-59 lead.

Beard hit two free throws followed by a jump shot to push the lead to three points with 1:09 remaining on the clock.

Margo Dydek hit a jumper with less than a minute to play to pull the Sun within one point. On the ensuing possesion, DeLisha Milton-Jones missed a jump shot, but Coco Miller pulled down the offensive rebound for the Mystics, who ran down the clock before Beard missed a jumper with nine seconds to play.

Katie Douglas' shot at the buzzer didn't even hit the net as the Mystics held on for the win.

Washington (15-17) extended its lead to one game over the New York Liberty (13-17), who the Mystics will play at home on Thursday, for the fourth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.

The win narrows the gap between the Mystics and the Sun (17-14) to 2 1/2 games for the third playoff spot in the East. Connecticut and Washington will meet again on Sunday in the final game of the regular season.