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Langhorne, Harding lead Mystics over Monarchs

Jul 26, 2009 - 11:55 PM WASHINGTON(AP) -- Crystal Langhorne had a season-high 19 points and eight rebounds to lead the Washington Mystics to an 87-73 victory over the Sacramento Monarchs on Sunday.

Langhorne shot 7 of 11 from the field in 35 minutes of her fourth start of the season.

"That stat line does not shock me," said teammate Marissa Coleman, who had eight points and four rebounds in 24 minutes. "I played four years with her at Maryland, so I'm used to that. She's Miss Consistency. She can give you a double-double every game. She's been playing really great this year. She's a big reason why we're as successful as we are this season."

Langhorne said her teammates are getting her the ball in good spots, and Mystics coach Julie Plank is letting her "do my thing a little bit."

"She's probably our most consistent player this year," said Alana Beard, who had nine points and five assists for Washington. "When we get those rebounds and buckets on the inside, it creates a lot for the perimeter players on the outside. I know that's why we're playing really good ball, because we have that inside-out attack."

Lindsey Harding added 16 points as the Mystics (9-7) built a 17-point lead in the first quarter and cruised to their second straight win. They also ended an eight-game losing streak against Sacramento.

Harding scored 10 points in the first quarter, including an end-to-end driving layup that gave Washington a 30-13 lead after one quarter.

The Mystics led 45-36 at halftime. Their 30 points in the first quarter and 45 in the first half were both season highs.

Kara Lawson scored 16 points to lead the Monarchs (4-15), who never got within seven points in the second half. DeMya Walker had 13 points, and Nicole Powell added 11.

"We maintained our focus and continued to get stops when we needed them," Beard said. "We put up 87 points. Our goal is to score 74 a night, and we feel we'll win most of those games if we do that. We're taking care of the ball better and we're closing out games. That's something you need to be a playoff-caliber team. The focus definitely is the difference."

Chasity Melvin scored four straight points, and Monique Currie's 3-pointer with 2:17 left secured the victory.

Currie finished with 12 points and Melvin added 10.

"People don't realize that we had a lot of new people come to this team this year," Langhorne said. "Early on, we just made some mistakes and now we realize when we need to get stops. Our focus is just really different."

Nicole Powell scored 11 points for the Monarchs, and Crystal Kelly had 10.