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Fever hold off Mystics

Jul 3, 2014 - 1:24 AM Washington, DC (SportsNetwork.com) - Natasha Howard had 20 points and Erlana Larkins scored 16, as Indiana held off the Washington Mystics, 80-77, Wednesday at Verizon Center.

Lynetta Kizer added 10 points for the Fever, who won despite turning the ball over 18 times. That led to 26 Washington points, but Indiana managed to win back-to-back road games to start this month.

Fresh off a 77-70 win at Atlanta Tuesday, the Fever shot 52.5 percent from the field and overcame a late rally by the Mystics.

Monique Currie scored 18 to pace the Mystics, who have dropped six of their last eight contests. Emma Meesseman and Kia Vaughn each had 13 points, while Bria Hartley scored 12 and Ivory Latta 11 in defeat.

Indiana was ahead as many as 15 points late in the first half and carried a 67-55 cushion with 7:42 remaining in the game. The Mystics, though, caught some breaks late. A turnover by Karima Christmas led to a Washington possession, which ended in a Vaughn hook shot with 15.9 seconds left for a 78-76 game.

Howard went 1-of-2 from the foul line, but then Meesseman also made 1-of-2 at the charity stripe, this with 5.9 seconds to go for a 79-77 margin.

Larkins split two free throws two seconds later, and Currie's shot from nearly 40 feet away hit high off the backboard as time expired.

Since 2007, the Fever has beaten Washington in 25 of 33 meetings, including playoff games.