Arlington, TX — After Liz Cambage broke the internet earlier this week and the single-game WNBA scoring record, she decided to continue that record-breaking feeling tonight too, as the Dallas Wings beat the Washington Mystics 90-81.
Cambage finished with 35 points and 17 boards, which gave her 88 points total this week. That stat broke Maya Moore’s WNBA of most points scored in consecutive games with her record of 80 points.
With Cambage’s record-breaking performance against the Liberty, one might say there were not only a few more people in the stands at the College Park Center, but there was also a lot more focus on the Washington Mystics’ end to protect the paint and try to disrupt the power of the Dallas Wings paint play.
Because of this defensive effort, the guards of the Dallas Wings were able to shine early on. Specifically, Kayla Thornton lit it up from the three-point line while her defender was worried about the interior and finished the first quarter with a fiery 10 points. Forward Glory Johnson also soaked up the opportunity to score, starting off the first 10 minutes with seven points.
Before you knew it, Dallas had dropped 31-points in the period and Washington only had 20.
After that rough first 10 minutes for the Mystics, they regrouped and won the second quarter 19-17 shortening the Wings’ early lead to 48-39. They continued to fight for good possessions but struggled to find an offensive rhythm as one of the anchors of their offense, Elena Delle Donne, struggled to get open shots throughout the matchup. Delle Donne finished the game with only seven points after not scoring another field goal after the first quarter, only chipping in two free throws with less than 30 seconds left in the fourth quarter.
As one of the Mystics stars was struggling, so was one of Dallas’. Skylar Diggins-Smith also had an off night as she only had four points, making four of only seven attempts and having five fouls.
With two offensive stars struggling, both teams had to rely on other means and measures to see who would get the job done. For the Mystics, LaToya Sanders proved she could be counted on as she chipped in 25 points, while rookie Ariel Atkins provided momentum in the fourth quarter as she drained big-time shots, finishing with 13.
Although, their effort was cut short by the Wings’ ultimate fluidity on the floor and their presence on the inside. Thornton provided a much needed 15 points and Johnson chipped in 13.
Overall, even with the contirubtions of Thorton and Johnson, the star of the night was Cambage. She continued to take hit after hit in the paint and stack her point total. The Mystics tried, yet at the end of the day they had no way of slowing Cambage and she went to work once again.
With the victory, the Wings now have a home record to 9-3, 14-9 overall, while the Mystics fall to 13-10.
