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Langhorne comes up big, Mystics beat Sun 69-65

May 30, 2010 - 11:26 PM WASHINGTON(AP) -- With her team struggling and shorthanded, Washington Mystics forward Crystal Langhorne stepped up.

She scored 17 points and tied a career high with 16 rebounds, and the Washington Mystics withstood a late run in Sunday's 69-65 win over the Connecticut Sun.

"There really was a lot going against us, geez," Langhorne said, chuckling, after recording her third double-double of the season. "I think it was a really good win for us, just for that reason."

Nakia Sanford added four of her 11 points in the final three minutes as Washington (4-3) led by at least three throughout the late stages of the game.

Monique Currie scored 18 points, and Lindsey Harding had 10 points and nine assists despite leaving the game for more than five minutes after suffering a bruised shoulder late in the third quarter.

The Mystics, who have played the most games of any team in the league, including five on the road, also began the game with guard Katie Smith (lower back spasms) as a late injury scratch.

"I felt like this was our home opener, we'd been on the road so much," said Mystics coach Julie Plank, who added that Harding's X-rays came back negative. "I thought it was a really great team win.

Tina Charles scored 13 points for Connecticut (3-2), which never led and fell to 0-2 on the road after defeating Washington 80-65 in their first meeting a week ago.

In the rematch, the Mystics led by as many as 12 points in the third quarter. But Renee Montgomery hit a 3-pointer and scored five of her 10 points during an 8-1 run that cut the Sun's deficit to 56-53 early in the fourth.

Later, Charles' putback made it 64-61 and Allison Hightower's jumper made it 66-63, but each basket was answered by an inside score from Sanford.

Tan White's free throws made it 68-65, but with under 20 seconds left, Montgomery missed a 5-foot jumper that would have cut the lead to one. Matee Ajavon's foul shot for Washington pushed the lead to four, and Connecticut turned it over on its final possession.

"We definitely were close, but we have to bring out more energy and more intensity," Charles said. "Especially coming out in the second half."

The Sun, who entered the game shooting 38 percent from 3-point range, missed all nine of their first-half attempts and finished 4-for-17 from beyond the arc, their worst effort of the season.