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Fever-Mystics Preview

Jun 28, 2010 - 6:45 PM By ALAN FERGUSON STATS Writer

Indiana (9-5) at Washington (9-5), 7:00 p.m. EDT

In 2009, the Indiana Fever continued their recent road dominance of the Washington Mystics while sweeping the season series and eliminating them from the playoffs.

Winning on the Mystics' home floor might not prove as easy in 2010, especially with a red-hot Crystal Langhorne.

In the next stop on their season-high four-game trip, the Fever try to end the Mystics' four-game home winning streak and slow down Langhorne on Tuesday night.

Indiana won all four regular-season matchups in 2009 and opened an Eastern Conference semifinal series with their fourth straight win in Washington and seventh in eight games there since the start of the 2006 season. The Fever finished the series two days later at home en route to their first conference title.

In the lone 2010 meeting, however, Indiana fell 72-65 to visiting Washington on May 15 to open the season. Monique Currie scored 21 points and Langhorne added 19 during the Mystics' 50-percent shooting performance.

They limited Indiana to 37 percent while snapping a seven-game skid to their rival, but the Fever (9-5) have won seven of nine since their 2-3 start, including a victory over league-best Seattle on June 17.

They couldn't pull off a season sweep of the Storm at the start of their trip Friday, losing 85-81, but bounced back two days later with a 70-64 victory over Chicago.

Tamika Catchings scored a season-low four points on 1-of-9 shooting Sunday, and the Fever had just two starters in double figures. The bench, however, chipped in 31 points led by Jessica Moore's season-high 10.

"I think it's a real key thing that if you're going to win on the road, you've got to have your bench step up," coach Lin Dunn said.

While the Fever have won four of five, the Mystics (9-5) who have won five of six overall and are 6-1 at home this season.

Langhorne had a career-high 31 points and 10 rebounds in a 95-85 home win over Phoenix on Sunday.

The third-year post player has averaged 27.7 points and 12.3 rebounds over the last three games, and is among the league leaders in scoring (17.1 ppg), shooting (58.2 percent) and rebounding (9.9 rpg).

"Things have really been going my way," Langhorne said. "I've been able to get the ball in really good positions. I haven't been getting double-teamed. I've just been really lucky right now."

Facing the Fever's league-leading defense, allowing 71.6 points per game and 41.0 percent shooting, would seem to give Langhorne a challenge. However, she's averaged 16.2 points and shot 60 percent over the last four matchups.