WNBA LIVE! Golden State Valkyries vs Washington Mystics July 31, 2025 |WNBA Regular Season Live 2K25

WNBA LIVE! Golden State Valkyries vs Washington Mystics July 31, 2025 |WNBA Regular Season Live 2K25

And the trademark of both of these teams, strong defense. Got to love it. What will that mean for tonight’s contest? Well, the coaches will have a big role in a strength-on strength matchup. Game planning takes on added importance. And one more thing about these teams, Brian, I mean, there is no shortage of effort. Now, here is Hayes. Jacks up a three, and she’s good on the three ball. Getting great lift on her shot. Hayes can really drain him from three. Now Sutton Sykes outside. The rebound by Thornton. And here’s Martin. Thornton outside. Back to Hayes. Six on the shot clock. Here’s Billings. Rebounded by the Mystics. Pass to Sutton. Back to Sykes. And here’s Doulson. [Music] Now Sutton expanding her range. It’s not going to go for her. Here’s Martin. The three is up. Comes out of the gate. Empty. [Music] Now Sutton pass to Sykes. Doulson. Screened by Sykes. Here’s Sutton from beyond the arc. That one falls coming off Stephanie Doulson’s feet. Here’s Hayes just about 2 minutes into the game. First quarter of basketball, the three and it’s Doulson with the rebound. Here’s Sutton. She’s guarded by Hayes. Pass to Angler. Austin. Sykes outside. That one’s in. Her first basket of the game. She is one for two. Well, this is how you finish inside. Britney Sykes going up with confidence. And here is Veg Benlay guarded by Austin. And here is Veg Benlay. Pass to Billings. The three and it’s Austin with the rebound. The Mystics leading. And when you look at this Washington team, they hang their hat on defense. That’s the priority. Yeah. Last year they were fourth in defensive rating. They have a great coaching staff that helps with scouting reports, defensive schemes that we’ll see. And the Mystics do a great job, you know, executing those scouting reports. Pass to Hayes. Rebounded by Sykes. There was just enough defensive pressure to get her off balance from outside the arc. No good there. You know, she shouldn’t miss those, but you know, it happened to the best of them. Now, here is Hayes to the middle. Gorton outside. Pass to Martin. Gorton with it to stop the drought. Doesn’t get it to drop for her. Here’s Sutton. Now Angler. Britney Sykes outside. It’s hauled in by Tiffany Hayes. Pass to Martin. Here’s Thornton. [Music] Hayes and good coming off the assist by Kayla Thornton. Takes pride in each performance. Hayes is the centerpiece of everything her team does. Now here is Doulson. Angler with it. She hasn’t scored yet. That I’m sure will change. Here’s Sykes. No good on that shot. Good work defensively by Kayla Thornton. Here’s Billings. Misses and close. The Mystics trailing. Now Sutton Sykes outside, picks the three, sinks the triple. Well, beyond the arc, Sykes can be pretty choosy cuz she finds an angle she likes and drills it. And here is Hayes. Six points for her. Pass to Martin. Bag Benley guarded by Austin. Fades and shoots. Hits some rim on the way in. And the bucket’s good. Next time she has that much space, she should just go straight up with it. and leave the fade away at home. Sykes outside, fires from deep again. Britney Sykes missing. Now here is Hayes. Pass to Martin. Tiffany Hayes on the wing. The three-pointer off the mark. You don’t want to give up that kind of look often. They’re very lucky they didn’t get burnt. And here’s Sutton. [Applause] Tries a three. Martin pulls it in. Tiffany Hayes on the wing. Pass to Martin. Back. Benlay. [Music] to the wing on the left. [Music] Gorton with it. Here’s Benlay. Guarded by Austin Martin. Good on the three-point shot. You know what? I don’t care how far from the bucket she is. You’ve got to have a defender on her. She’s just too good from long range. Here’s Sutton. Sykes outside. Here’s Austin off target with the jump hook. Here’s [Applause] Hayes. [Applause] Now Martin [Applause] spins from the arc and the rebound goes to the Mystics and they could use a big shot here to get this offense going. Yeah, too many empty possessions. I mean, it’s simple. They need points and it’s going to be out of bounds. The Mystics will retain possession. Substitution. [Applause] Now here is Doulson. Tight defense on her. Doulson with the screen and another miss by Washington. Beyond the ark, Martin. No bueno. Sykes with the ball. She has five. Pass to Melbourne to the paint. Dolson outside for Sykes. Shot clock at five to end the drought. No good that time. You know, she keeps jacking up those threes without much to show for it. She’s going to lose the green light very early in this game if this keeps up. Now Peg Benley one near her. And that one comes up a bit short. And here’s Sutton. Pass to Melbourne. Austin. Britney Sykes for three. Sinks the three-pointer. It’s a tie ball game. I saw a little confusion amongst the D as to who was supposed to be guarding her. Outside Hayes. Now Fagg Benley guarded by Doulson. A nice shot by Fenlay. Now, here is Sykes. She’s got eight. [Music] Over to the wing from deep. Melbourne. Shot is off. Now here is Hayes. Guarded closely. Pass to Billings. It’s Burton. And there’s the pick. [Applause] And it’s Austin with the rebound. And here’s Washington trailing by two. Here’s Sutton. [Applause] It’s Britney Sykes on the wing. Screen by Austin. Six to shoot. Two open that time. Made it look easy. She can beat you in a lot of different ways. Sykes is dangerous in the pick and roll game because she can handle the ball too outside. Hayes laid in with a nice touch off the glass. Took advantage of some shoddy D there. They got to at least get a finger on her. [Music] Sykes right side down low. Doulson in the post. Burton with the rebound. Pass to Martin inside. Great D that time from Shakira Austin. Terrific job defending the basket that time. It’s not an easy task stopping her when she’s headed to the rim. And here’s Melbourne. [Music] Doulson. And a foul called on the shot. Got her on the way up that time. So she’ll shoot two. The mobility of Doulson coupled with her size. It’s very difficult once she gets inside to stop. Sometimes you have to foul. [Applause] The first one calls. [Applause] [Applause] And so she hits both. Now Burton quiet so far offensively searching for first points of the game. Pass to Vanloo. There’s the three and the rebound goes to the Mystics. And here’s Melbourne. [Applause] Here’s Kune. Doulson with it. [Applause] And the go-ahehead bucket. No good. So the first quarter ends. The tie game and a lowscoring one so far. And back in a moment as we’ll get underway with quarter two. [Applause] And so far it’s been a closely contested game as we get the second quarter going. And for the Mystics guys, what jumps out to you statwise? A lot of trips to the line for them through the first. Very aggressive offensively and they’re making full use of their homecourt advantage. I’ll tell you that much. Fans have really helped them [Applause] and Washington has possession. Pass to Ka Sykes with the ball. for three and Britney Sykes gets the three. Remember, she’s on the court to do this. Score. Sykes can fill it up once she gets going. You know, we try to not play favorites, but the truth is we’re all fans here. So guys, who is your favorite player to watch? This is easy. I got to go with Sabrina Yanescu, who’s also from my hometown of Walnick Creek. She plays so unselfish, but also has an amazing three-point shot, so she can score in bunches. Yeah, I’m a big Kelsey Plum fan. You know, I love players who can shoot, and Kelsey certainly can do that, but she also has other parts of her game that are very good. And of course, I mean, lefties, they just make everything look better. Here’s Zandelini. Pass to Thornton. Vanloo. Let’s go with a three. And Zandelini is good for three. I mean that shot just becomes effortless for her when the defense is so relaxed like that. Now Inkler [Music] now Sykes the three ball. They get it back. Here’s Edwards and she gets the friendly spin and that one drops. Second quarter of basketball about one minute played so far. Pass to Vanloo. Now here is Thornton. Well, Kayla Thornton loves these freebies and she’s able to contribute a lot for her team. First team and first trip to the free throw line for her in this one. Kayla Fton. Two shots. [Applause] [Applause] And she knocks down the first one. [Applause] and that’s good as she hits both shots. Just over a minute has passed here in the second quarter. Pass to Angler. Melbourne. [Music] Sykes outside. Five to shoot. [Applause] A rebound by Vanloo. It’s been a little while since they’ve been in the lead. And that’s why this is such an important possession for them. Lets it go from deep. Still looking for first make after that miss. 0 for two. The Mystics with the lead. Sykes outside. And we’re about 2 minutes into the second quarter here. [Music] Here’s Zandelini. Picked by Thornton. And that misses. That would have put them up. The Mystics on offense. Sykes outside. Pass to Con. And here’s Angler. [Applause] Sykes. Britney Scythe. Can’t get that one to fall. [Applause] Here in quarter two. We’ve played a little over two and a half minutes now. Here’s Vanloo. Now Burton [Applause] fast is on Zandelini from past the arc. It’s good from long range through points. The Mystics trailing now Melbourne. She’s been patient so far. Nothing yet on the scoreboard. And there it is. And here’s Burton. [Music] Fast is on Delisini. And here’s Burton. [Music] And a little under three and a half minutes of elapsed in the second quarter play. Vanloo. [Applause] Gorton with it. Zandelini. It’s Burton. Fires the three. Edwards grabs the miss. Sykes outside. Makes the three. Second chance shot and Edwards lays it in. Coach has always told me that if you battle for offensive rebounds, you’re guaranteed a high quality shot on the follow just like she got there. Now, here is Thornton. No good from 11 ft. Here’s Melbourne to the inside. Here’s Edwards. The shot that time not on target. Here’s Zandellesini. She’s guarded by Angler. [Applause] Pass to Burton and Lou. They set the pick. Fires for three. Drills the three-pointer. And Washington has possession. Now Angler. Edwards with it from the baseline. They get it back. Tries yet again. And so she earns a trip to the line. Officials saw the contact and she’ll shoot two foul. What a play in attack mode and get inside. And the defense gets their money’s worth on that foul. Stopping the layup and not giving up the and one. That’s her first trip to the line. Take a break. Take a break. Two shots. [Applause] The first free throw is good. Well, there’s lots of ways you can build a team. What do you think is the best route, Tim? Well, optimally you want to draft and develop, but that’s tough to do because it’s hard to find rookies in second-year players who have a major impact. So, you need to have patience if you want to draft and develop. Teams that make smart teams that make smart trades, whether it’s taking in picks, cashing in for a star, asset management is the name of the game. Pass to Vanloo. Now Talbot launches it. Rebounded by Sykes. Now Ket now Melbourne. Kona. Nolson with it. Nails the baby hook. Scoring inside. It’s about a lot of things. To me, touch is most important. And Doulson knows how to get the ball in the hoop. Pass to Talbot. And here’s Roert. [Applause] Here’s Vanloo. No scoring yet from her, but that’s likely to change. Launches a three and it’s Doulson with the rebound. And Washington has possession. It’s a three-point game. Here’s Kune. [Music] Britney Sykes outside. The shot misses. Yeah, I’ll tell you her three-point shot has looked pretty bad here in the second half. She’s trying to shoot her way out of this slump, but I think she’s got to give it a rest and try something else. Pass to Hayes. Vanloo. [Applause] Outside Hayes. Here’s Vanloo. Lets the three fly and that one’s good. Hayes and that’ll tie this game up. With often praised intangibles, Hayes is able to consistently put the ball through the bucket. Pass to Sykes. Nolson sets a screen. Sykes no good. I’m not sure why she keeps trying her luck from deep. It It’s just not working for her. For three, Tiffany Hayes. The Mystics pull it in. Now Ket [Music] pass to Doulson. And here’s Melbour. Back to Doulson. Shoots it. The long distance three is buried. Showing off her ability to be a stretch, but Stephanie Doulson is more than capable of hitting from way down. Here’s Talbot. She hasn’t yet put up any points in this one. Now, here is Hayes. Pass to Vanloo. And here’s Robert. She’s covered by Edwards. Here’s Hayes. three-pointer again. Tiffany Hayes missing. And here’s Melbourne. Now Sykes. [Music] Edwards with the screen. Sykes. No good. Not a whole lot going down for her. She can’t catch a break. Here’s Talbot. They set a pick. Pass to Roupert. And here’s Hayes. This one for three. Here’s Finlay. And the rebound paying off as they pick up two on the second chance bucket right there. The Mystics with the lead. Sykes outside Melbourne. Pass to Doulson. The tray and the three ball is good. When a player has confidence like Doulson, you see the pass coming and expect her to take the shot immediately. Here’s Talbot. Here’s Vanloo. She’s guarded by Sykes. Here’s Talbot. Hayes with it. Three-pointer. Drills it from outside. The rapid fire threes coming from everywhere. I wasn’t sure they should try to get the three right back like that, but hey, it worked out for them. Now, here is Sykes. She’s got 13. Pass to Doulson. Foul called that time on the way up and that’ll give her two chances at the free throw push and she’ll take her third and fourth free throw shots of the night. Stephanie two shots shooting two. And the first one drops. [Music] [Applause] So she makes one of two as the second one misses. [Music] Orton with it. Outside Hayes. Martin. Thornton outside. Four on the shot clock. Shoots the three. Rebounded by the Mystics. Sykes outside. Pass to Sutton. Sykes. Screen by Sykes. Here’s Sutton. She tries for three. The rebound by Thornton. Now Martin. [Music] Now Hayes puts up a three and it’s Austin with the rebound. Even without that three ball dropping for her, the defense should have done way more on that last play. Yeah, I mean the def’s got to be better as a coach. You can’t stand seeing her having that much space to get her shot off. Now here is Sykes. She’s got 13. And it’s going to be a 3second call. Here’s [Applause] Hayes. She’s got 14. Pass to Martin. Thornton. [Applause] 3 second difference between the shot clock and the game clock fades. The Mystics pull it in. Sykes left side. And a pretty tightly contested game here as we end the first half. Mystics ahead up two. And time now for the halftime break with the third quarter soon to follow on 2K Sports. And it’s time for your fan court shot. Please direct your attention to center court. They’re measuring up the shot. [Applause] One more time, a round of applause. Heat. Heat. [Music] We have a close ball game on our hands as we get set for the second half to get underway. Tiffany Hayes really making a difference here. She put on a show from three-point range in the first half. We’ll see if the halftime break had any cooling effect on her. Well, we’ll soon find out because I guarantee they’re going to keep feeding her the rock beyond the ark until she does cool off. [Applause] And here’s Sutton. Pass to Angler. Austin with it. It’s Britney Sykes on the wing looking to get it going. The shot comes out. She keeps trying to force it up when she’s guarded and she’s just getting brick after brick. Here’s my suggestion. Move the ball around. Back to Hayes inside Billings. That evens the score. She always knows where her teammates are going to be and she’ll have that ball there waiting for them. Now, here is Sykes. down low. Shakir Austin high post. Four on the clock. Thanks for the screen. Out to Sutton. Shoots a three. Another rebound by Thornton. Here’s Martin. Now Hayes, now Billings. She’s guarded by Angler. And here’s Martin [Applause] for the lead. Can it from downtown? I admire Hayes’s vision. I mean, she’s pretty much aware and alert of everything happening on the court. There’s Sutton. And they’re looking for a way to score here. Yeah, they’ve had a tough time taking the lid off. They got to score. Dolson with it. Pass to Sutton. To the paint. Here’s Sykes. The rebound by Thornton. [Applause] Outside. Hayes to the middle. Here’s Mcenlay. Takes the 12-footer and hits. What? Great touch. It hits the fadeaway with the player right in her face. Washington trailing. [Music] Sykes outside to the inside. Pass to Doulson. Yes. And it’s Shakira Austin picking up the assist. And another night in night out. A threat to just go off. Doulson’s diverse offensive arsenal make her a great score. Now here is Hayes. 14 points for her. Now Thornton. [Applause] Now Martin [Applause] to the paint. And it’s Doulson with the rebound. And here’s Sutton. Pass to Doulson. Sykes. She’s guarded by Hayes. Sykes up top. Austin with it. It’s good. Everything you could possibly want in a guard. Britney Sykes is a tremendous distributor. [Applause] Just under three and 1/2 minutes played here in the third quarter. Here’s the pick inside. Miss Stephanie first personal power team foul and this is our first free throw of the game. Timmy Fenland. Two shots. [Applause] Shooting two. [Applause] And the first one falls for her. [Applause] both shots good from the stripe. We’ve gone about three and a half minutes into the third now. Here’s Sutton. She’s guarded by Hayes. Now here’s Angler still getting warmed up offensively. No buckets yet in the game for her. And she was camped there in the lane and she gets the 3second call. Those those types of mistakes are magnified when it’s a tight game like this. Here’s Hayes. 14 points for her. Pass to Thornton. Martin. There’s a screen. [Music] Outside. Hayes for three. Rebounded by the Mystics. Now Sutton. [Music] Hanksler for the tie and it’s Billings with the rebound. Hard to figure out why she didn’t bury that one. Not a defender near her. Right side Hayes. And that one good. Think about Tiffany Hayes. She is putting on a show. Sykes with the ball. 13 points in this game. [Music] Here’s the three. Gets the three-pointer to fall. I’m not sure that was the play they had set up, but it was too good a look to pass up. And here’s Martin. Six points for her. Pass to Thornton. Now here is Hayes. [Music] She’s off on that one. Great D that time from Shakira Austin and a 2020 third round pick show Sutton was actually out of the league until 2023. Well, she only played 12 games in the Wubble. She wasn’t in the W in 2021 or 2022. But Sutton had had a monster year 2023 in Phoenix. She was actually top 10 in the entire league in assists. Now here is Hayes. She’s got 16. The shot was there for her. She had to take it. And I don’t care if she didn’t convert. She should take it again next time. And it’s Austin missing. Here’s Martin [Applause] outside. Hayes shoots it up again. Tiffany Hayes missing. Here’s the Mystics with the ball. Pass to Sudden. Here’s Austin for the lead. Angler with it. There’s the triple. The rebound by Thornton outside. Hayes. [Music] And here’s Martin guarded by Austin [Applause] on the wing. Kayla Thornton. Five on the clock. And the rebound goes to the Mystics. Now here is Sykes. Pass to Sutton. Back to Sykes. Angler. Here’s Doulson. Here’s Sykes and she lays it straight in. Good possession resulting in the easy one down low. Now Hayes. 16 points for her. Sykes with a strong contribution so far in this game. Good timeout. She’s absolutely dialed in from outside. They need to to close out on her much quicker and they need to figure out a way to stop her point. Heat. Heat. [Music] Heat up here. [Music] [Applause] So, both teams making some changes here. [Applause] [Music] And here’s Burton looking for a first basket still in this one. Another miss. And they’ve really hit a rough patch. Sykes outside from downtown. That shot off. Here’s Billings. [Music] Pass to Vanloo. And there’s the 3second violation. [Applause] The Mystics with the lead. [Music] Here’s Ka. Sykes Austin with it. Fires at the elbow. Yeah, count it. Opportunistic shot by Austin. Finds the mid-range look and doesn’t waste it. Pass to Vanloo. [Applause] Here’s the three and the rebound goes to the Mystics. Now Kune and here’s Melbourne. Now Sykes from deep buries it from three-point range. Puts her awareness on full display. Sykes knew exactly how much time she had for the catch and shoot. Sykes with a strong contribution so far in this game. She just keeps drilling the big shots. They got to design a way to get the ball out of her hands. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. You understand? [Applause] It’s Burton. He hasn’t yet put up any points in this one. Pass to Roupert. Zandelini. Just five on the clock. Vanloo gets it to go from downtown. I tell you, she loves getting looks like that from three-point range. Just nobody near her. [Music] Al Melbourne. [Music] Here’s Ka. Britney Sykes outside and the Mystics hit again from deep. Well, I think she she owes the three-pointer dinner. It’s been her best friend today. No question. Well, it has been today anyway. I mean, look, most of her points have been courtesy of the deep ball. Here’s Zandellesini. She’s got six. Here’s Vanloo. Tried to answer back, but that three is off the mark. Sykes outside, pulls up from the top of the key and it’s Billings with the rebound. Well, that’s just not a sight you see very often because she has a great feel for that jump shot, especially when she’s open. Soft touch off the glass. Ran her defender straight into that screen to open up the lane to the hoop. So, it’s Washington now leading by five. Now, Pune down low. Sykes takes the assist and lays it in. Picked out the pass nicely. Whenever your big is passing the rock like Austin, it’s a great sign for your squad’s ball movement. Passes on Zandelini. [Applause] Here’s Vanloo from outside the arc. Drops in the tray. They can’t afford to give her that kind of look. Well, it came off a good screen, but still as a defender, you have to fight over the top of it. And you need some help as well. Here’s Pune. Now here is Sykes. [Music] [Applause] And it’s Billings with the rebound. Good on the shot. Billings. Here’s Melbourne. Clock management. This is where they can get a two for one. I love the two for one. Every opportunity counts. [Music] Pass to Sykes. Shot on the wing. John Delosini pulls it in. 3se second difference between the shot clock and the game clock. Here’s Vanloo. Here’s Roupert guarded by Austin. And here’s Burton. Now Zandelini. Just five to shoot. Now Roert Vanloo, she’s guarded by Sykes. Sand Delosini can’t get it to go. And we have just finished the third quarter and a tight game. We’ve got the Mystics on top. They’re up by two. And time to step away quickly, but we’ll be back in no time with the start of the fourth quarter. [Applause] We welcome you back to what has been a good one here as we get into the fourth quarter. Now Burton fast as Delazini. Now Burton. Here’s Vanloo. And here’s Xandelisini. Down to five on the shot clock. Bangs home the trifecta. The Mystics trailing. Sykes outside. There’s a screen. This one for three. Salvad pulls it in. Here’s Vanloo. She’s guarded by Sykes. Fast is on Delisini. Can’t cash in from the high post. On the wing, Emily Angler. [Music] A few possessions into the fourth quarter, just over one minute played. Sykes, no good. It’s Burton. She’s covered by Edwards. Here’s Vanloo. Burton pass to Roupert to the inside and Sandalini gets it to go. The plan worked perfectly that possession. Get it inside. Get the high percentage shots. And they’re looking for some kind of spark here. Yeah, full stretch offensively. They need a bucket. Sykes with the ball. Takes the three. Kept alive. Let’s go with a three. That one no good. We’re about 2 minutes into the fourth quarter in this one. [Applause] Pass to Talbot. Gandelisini. [Applause] Here’s Burton. No good on the three. Oh, it’s Washington now. Nothing doing offensively yet for them in the fourth. Here’s Melbourne. Sykes left side to tie it up. Valve pulls it in. This has not been a quarter to remember for her. I mean, what’s going on right now? What is this? She’s not making any sort of impact for them at that end of the court. Pass to Burton from the arc. The rebound by Melbourne. Angler with it. Con. outside. Edwards back to Sykes. Tries to snap the cold streak. That shot off. And she’s missing shot after shot after shot from long range. And with time running out, I think it’s time for her to try something else. Pass to Talbot. That one is off. Aaliyah Edwards strong defensive effort. A little over three and a half minutes in the books now for this fourth quarter. And here’s Melbourne. Edwards left side. Valvet pulls it in. Here’s Vanloo. [Applause] Throws it up high. Burton. Rupert. No good. Said he should be thanking her for that miss. Now here’s Angler. Cypes outside to tie it up. Unable to get that one to go. Pass to Vanloop. It’s Burton. [Applause] Out to the wing. Vanloo. She’s guarded by Sykes. Talbot. No good. Sykes outside pass to Melbourne shot to stop the drought and it’s good. Assisting on the play was Britney Sykes and you’re seeing the selflessness from Britney Sykes right there. She is all about doing whatever is best for the team. Now Talbbert [Music] and here’s Burton. The shot no good. A chance here to retake the lead. Showing that intensity in these last few minutes. It’s Britney Sykes on the wing. Pass to Angler. Outside Edwards to take the lead. A rebound by Vanloo. It’s Burton. And here’s Xandelini. Pass to Burton. The three. Good on the triple. [Applause] Now Melbourne Washington calls timeout. Yeah, I think the coach is watching a lot of shots they normally make out and it has to be frustrating. Maybe see if they could create some scoring opportunities at the free throw line. That may be the answer for them. But you know ultimately I expect them to shoot their way out of this slot. The breaker is death. Heat. Heat. [Music] Heat. [Music] Heat. [Applause] [Applause] Both teams deciding to change it up. [Applause] Here’s [Applause] Angler. Pass to Sutton. [Music] Screen by Austin. Just four to shoot. And another miss by Washington. outside Hayes. Now Billings. She’s guarded by Sykes. Here’s Martin. Pass to Menlay. Shoots over Austin. Benlay can’t hit, but Mystics’s trailing. Here’s Sutton. Great D that time from Tiffany Hayes beyond the arc. Rebounded by Sykes. They had some lots of coverage that turned into no coverage. And when she’s open like that, you don’t see her miss that sort of look very often. Now here’s Angler. Pass to Sutton. [Applause] Screen by Austin from deep. Sutton with the bucket and it’s a tie ball game. Perfect screen there. Center up to a terrific look. Yeah, but that’s a bad job by the defender to not fight through that screen to contest. You want to see more effort there. Now here is Hayes. Pass to Pag Menlay. Shoots over Austin. Pag Benley can’t hit. She operates well in traffic, but still a tough play to finish off. Now Sutton Sykes inside to take the lead. So they take the lead. That pass led her so perfectly. She didn’t even have to break stride. Hayes with it. Pass to Martin. And here is Beg Benley. Morton outside her three. Tiffany Hayes rebounded by the Mystics. she can’t get anything to drop and the way she’s going, it’s probably not something to try to to shoot her way out of and I’m sure her teammates would agree with that. You know, the last thing they want to see her doing is shooting it more. Now, here is Hayes. Thon up top. Billings guarded by Doulson. Clock at six. [Applause] Pass to Martin. three-pointer that drops and it comes off an assist from Tiffany Hayes. Yeah, well with eagle-eyed vision, Hayes has earned a reputation as a capable distributor. Now here’s Angler Austin. Britney Sykes outside Doulson in the post and it’s Billings with the rebound [Applause] and here’s Martin. Pass to Billing [Applause] outside Hayes. [Applause] Shot clock at six. And here’s Martin. He’s guarded by Hanker. Opening Hayes for Gra. This has been a rough second half for her shooting the ball. She should probably adopt a pass first mentality at this point. Sykes. Good work defensively by Kayla Thornton. Now Martin pass to Pag Menlay to the paint the ball and missed her basket for a fifth happy pairing of the game. She’s five for nine. They carried out the plan perfectly that time around now. Here is Sykes looking to end her cold spell and she gets a jumper to drop. In big moments, Sykes does not lack aggressiveness. If she can make a difference, she will the middle. There’s Vinlay. Rebounded by Sykes. Oh, it’s Washington now to the inside. Pass to Sutton trying her from deep and it’s Billings with the rebound. 7second difference between the shot clock and the game clock. And they’ll be trying to take as much time off the clock as they can. Exactly. Expect to see some long possessions out of them from this point forward. Milk the clock. Here’s Benley. Morton outside. Knocks down the three. That just adds to what’s probably already an insurmountable lead. I think they’ll be leaving here with a win. Yeah, hard to imagine any other outcome than the one that’s staring us right in the face. Time called here. The Mystics decide to talk it over. Time is the big factor here. Need to get the points fast and then foul. Yeah, Tim. And it has to be a quick foul. Every second is critical at this stage. Yeah, they cannot waste any time if they want to come back. here’s Doulson. Off with the layup. And so the road team gets the W in this one. This was a hardfought, well-earned victory for them. They really had to work for this one. Yeah, weaker teams, they might have buckled at the end, you know, really with that crowd amped up. everyone in the building ring against them, but they stood tall and pulled it out. That’ll do it for our broadcast, everyone. Banana and Tim Schwarz. I’m Blake Sunniga and we’re thrilled to have you with us. And with a moment here before we get to the tip off, here are tonight’s starting lineups. [Applause] And the trademark of both of these teams, strong defense. Got to love it. What will that mean for tonight’s contest? Well, the coaches will have a big role in a strength-on strength matchup. Game planning takes on added importance. And one more thing about these teams, Brian, I mean, there is no shortage of effort. Now, here is Hayes. Jacks up a three and she’s good on the three ball. Getting great lift on her shot. Hayes can really drain him from three. Now Sutton Sykes outside. [Music] The rebound by Thornton. And here’s Martin. Thornton outside. Back to Hayes. Six on the shot clock. Here’s Billings. Rebounded by the Mystics. Pass to Sutton. Back to Sykes. And here is Doulson. [Music] Now Sutton expanding her range. It’s not going to go for her. Here’s Martin. The three is up. Comes out of the gate. Empty. [Music] Now Sutton. Pass to Sykes. Doulson. Screen by Sykes. Here’s Sutton from beyond the arc. That one falls coming off Stephanie Doulson speeds. Here’s Hayes. Just about 2 minutes into the game. First quarter of basketball. The three. And it’s Doulson with the rebound. Here’s Sutton. She’s guarded by Hayes. Pass to Angler. Austin Sykes outside. That one’s in. Her first basket of the game. She is one for two. Well, this is how you finish inside. Britney Sykes going up with confidence. And here is Beg Benley guarded by Austin. And here is F Benlay. Pass to Billings, the three and it’s Austin with the rebound. The Mystics leading. When you look at this Washington team, they hang their hat on defense. That’s the priority. Yeah, last year they were fourth in defensive rating. They have a great coaching staff that helps with scouting reports, defensive schemes that we’ll see. And the Mystics do a great job, you know, executing those scouting reports. Pass to Hayes. Rebounded by Sites. There was just enough defensive pressure to get her off balance. From outside the arc. No good there. You know, she shouldn’t miss those, but you know, it happened to the best of them. Now here is Hayes to the middle. Thornton outside pass to Martin. Gorton with it to stop the drought. Doesn’t get it to drop for her. Here’s Sutton. Now Angler ready Sykes outside. It’s hauled in by Tiffany Hayes. Pass to Martin. Here’s Thornton. Hayes and good. Coming off the assist by Kayla Thornton. Takes pride in each performance. Hayes is the centerpiece of everything her team does. Now here is Doulson Angler with it. She hasn’t scored yet. That I’m sure will change. Here’s Sykes. No good on that shot. Good work defensively by Kayla Thornton. Here’s Billings. Misses and close. The Mystics trailing. Now Sutton Sykes outside, takes the three, sinks the triple. Well, beyond the Artic Sykes can be pretty choosy cuz she finds an angle she likes and drills it. And here is Hayes. Six points for her. Pass to Martin. Bag Ben guarded by Austin. fades and shoots. Hits some rim on the way in and the bucket’s good. Next time she has that much space, she should just go straight up with it and leave the fade away at home. Sykes outside, fires from deep again. Britney Sykes missing. Now here is Hayes. Pass to Martin. Tiffany Hayes on the wing. The three-pointer off the mark. You don’t want to give up that kind of look often. They’re very lucky they didn’t get burnt. And here’s Sutton. [Applause] Tries a three. Martin pulls it in. Tiffany Hayes on the wing. Pass to Martin. Bag Benlay [Music] to the wing on the left. [Music] Gorton with it. Here’s Benlay. Guarded by Austin Martin. Good on the three-point shot. You know what? I don’t care how far from the bucket she is. You’ve got to have a defender on her. She’s just too good from long range. Here’s Sutton. Sykes outside. Here’s Austin off target with the jump hook. [Applause] Here’s Hayes. [Applause] Now Martin [Applause] spins. from the arc and the rebound goes to the Mystics and they could use a big shot here to get this offense going. Yeah, too many empty possessions. I mean, it’s simple. They need points and it’s going to be out of bounds. The Mystics will retain possession. Substitution. [Applause] Now here is Doulson. Tight defense on her. Doulson with the screen. And another miss by Washington beyond the arc. Martin. No bueno. Sykes with the ball. She has five. Pass to Melbourne. to the paint. Dolson outside for Sykes. Shot clock at five to end the drought. No good that time. You know, she keeps jacking up those threes without much to show for it. She’s going to lose the green light very early in this game if this keeps up. Now Beg Benley one near her and that one comes up a bit short. And here’s Sutton. Pass to Melbourne. Austin. Britney Sykes for three. Sinks the three-pointer. It’s a tie ball game. I saw a little confusion amongst the D as to who was supposed to be guarding her. outside Hayes. Now Fagg Benley guarded by Doulson. A nice shot by Fenlay. [Applause] Now here is Sykes. She’s got eight. [Music] Over to the wing from deep. Melbourne shot is off now. Here is Hayes guarded closely. Pass to Billings. It’s Burton. And there’s the pick. [Applause] And it’s Austin with the rebound. And here’s Washington trailing by two. Here’s Sutton. [Applause] It’s Britney Sykes on the wing. Screen by Austin. Six to shoot. Two open that time. Made it look easy. She can beat you in a lot of different ways. Sykes is dangerous in the pick and roll game because she can handle the ball too. Outside Hayes. Laid in with a nice touch off the glass. took advantage of some shoddy D there. They got to at least get a finger on her. [Music] Sykes right side down low. Doulson in the post. Burton with the rebound. Pass to Martin inside. Great D that time from Shakira Austin. Terrific job defending the basket that time. It’s not an easy task stopping her when she’s headed to the rim. [Music] And a foul called on the shot. Got her on the way up that time. So she’ll shoot two. The mobility of Doulson coupled with her size. It’s very difficult once she gets inside to stop. Sometimes you have to foul. shooting two. The first one calls [Applause] And so she hits both. Now Burton quiet so far offensively searching for her first points of the game. Pass to Vanloo. There’s the three and the rebound goes to the Mystics. And here’s Melbourne. [Applause] Here’s Kune. Doulson with it. [Applause] And the go-ahehead bucket. No good. So the first quarter ends, the tie game and a lowscoring one so far. And back in a moment as we’ll get underway with quarter two. [Applause] And so far it’s been a closely contested game as we get the second quarter going. And for the Mystics guys, what jumps out to you stat-wise? A lot of trips to the line for them through the first. Very aggressive offensively and they’re making full use of their homecourt advantage. I’ll tell you that much. Fans have really helped them [Applause] and Washington has possession. Pass to Con Sykes with the ball. for three and Britney Sykes gets the three. Remember, she’s on the court to do this. Score. Sykes can fill it up once she gets going. You know, we try to not play favorites, but the truth is we’re all fans here. So guys, who is your favorite player to watch? This is easy. I got to go with Sabrina Yanescu, who’s also from my hometown of Walnick Creek. She plays so unselfish, but also has an amazing three-point shot, so she can score in bunches. Yeah, I’m a big Kelsey Plum fan. You know, I love players who can shoot, and Kelsey certainly can do that, but she also has other parts of her game that are very good. And of course, I mean, lefties, they just make everything look better. Here’s Zandelini. Pass to Thornton. Vanloo. Let’s go with a three. And Zandelini is good for three. I mean that shot just becomes effortless for her when the defense is so relaxed like that. Now Inkler [Music] now Sykes the three ball. They get it back. Here’s Edwards and she gets the friendly spin and that one drops. Second quarter of basketball. About one minute played so far. Pass to Vanloo. Now, here is Thornton. Well, Kayla Thornton loves these freebies and she’s able to contribute a lot for her team. First team and first trip to the free throw line for her in this one. Kayla Fton. Two shots. [Applause] [Applause] [Applause] And she knocks down the first one. [Applause] and that’s good as she hits both shots. Just over a minute has passed here in the second quarter. Pass to Angler. Melbourne. [Music] Sykes outside. Five to shoot. [Applause] A rebound by Vanloo. It’s been a little while since they’ve been in the lead. And that’s why this is such an important possession for them. Lets it go from deep. Still looking for first make after that miss. 0 for two. The Mystics with the lead. Sykes outside. And we’re about 2 minutes into the second quarter here. Here’s Zandelini. Picked by Thornton. And that misses. That would have put them up. The Mystics on offense. Sykes outside. Pass to Ka. And here’s Angler. [Applause] Sykes. Britney Scythe. Can’t get that one to fall. [Applause] They are in quarter two. We’ve played a little over two and a half minutes now. Here’s Vanloo. Now Burton [Applause] fast as Zandelini from past the arc. It’s good from long range. The Mystics trailing now. Melbourne. She’s been patient so far. Nothing yet on the scoreboard. And there it is. And here’s Burton. Fast to Zand Delazini. And here’s Burton. [Music] And a little under three and a half minutes are lapsed in the second quarter play. Vanloo [Applause] Gorton with it. Zandelisini. It’s Burton. Fires the three. Edwards grabs the miss. Sykes outside. Makes the three. Second chance shot and Edwards lays it in. Coach has always told me that if you battle for offensive rebounds, you’re guaranteed a high quality shot on the follow just like she got there. Now, here is Thoron. No good from 11 ft. Here’s Melbourne to the inside. Here’s Edwards. The shot that time not on target. Here’s Zandellesini. She’s guarded by Angler. [Applause] Pass to Burton. Vanloo. [Applause] They set the pick. Fires for three. Drills the three-pointer. And Washington has possession. Now Angler. Edwards with it from the baseline. They get it back. Tries yet again. And so she earns a trip to the line. Officials saw the contact and she’ll shoot two. Foul. What a play in attack mode and get inside. And the defense gets their money’s worth on that foul. Stopping the layup and not giving up the and one. That’s her first trip to the line. Take a break. Take a break. Two shots. [Applause] The first free throw is good. Well, there’s lots of ways you can build a team. What do you think is the best route, Tim? Well, optimally you want to draft and develop, but that’s tough to do because it’s hard to find rookies in second-year players who have a major impact. So, you need to have patience if you want to draft and develop. Yeah. So, I I like the teams that make smart trades, whether it’s taking in picks, cashing in for a star. Asset management is the name of the game. Pass to Vanloo. Now Talbot launches it. Rebounded by Sykes. Now Kune. Now Melbourne. Kona. Nolson with it. Nails the baby hook. Scoring inside. It’s about a lot of things. To me, touch is most important. And Doulson knows how to get the ball in the hoop. Pass to Talbot. And here’s Robert. [Applause] Here’s Vanloo. No scoring yet for Per, but that’s likely to change. Launches a three and it’s Doulson with the rebound and Washington has possession. It’s a three-point game. Here’s Kune. [Music] Brandy Sykes outside. The shot misses. Yeah, I’ll tell you her three-point shot has looked pretty bad here in the second half. She’s trying to shoot her way out of this slump, but I think she’s got to give it a rest and try something else. Pass to Hayes. Vanloo. [Applause] Outside Hayes. Here’s Vanloo. Lets the three fly and that one’s good. Hayes and that’ll tie this game up. With often praised intangibles, Hayes is able to consistently put the ball through the bucket. Pass to Sykes. Dolson sets a screen. Sykes no good. I’m not sure why she keeps trying her luck from deep. It’s just not working for her. For three, Tiffany Hayes. The Mystics pull it in now. Pune. [Music] Pass to Doulson. And here’s Melbour. Back to Doulson. Shoots it. The long distance three is buried. Showing off her ability to be a stretch five. Stephanie Doulson is more than capable of hitting from way down. Here’s Talbot. She hasn’t yet put up any points in this one. Now here is Hayes. Pass to Vanloo. And here’s Robert. She’s covered by Edwards. Here’s Hayes. three-pointer again. Tiffany Hayes missing. And here’s Melbourne. Now Sykes. [Music] Edwards with the screen. Sykes. No good. Not a whole lot going down for her. She can’t catch a break. Here’s Talbot. They set a pick. Pass to Roert. And here is Hayes. This one for three. Here’s by Finlay. And the rebound paying off as they pick up two on the second chance bucket right there. The Mystics with the lead. Sykes outside Melbourne. Pass to Dolson. The tray and the three ball is good. When a player has confidence like Doulson, you see the pass coming and expect her to take the shot immediately. Here’s Talbett. Here’s Vanloo. She’s guarded by Sykes. Here’s Talbett. Haze with it. Three-pointer. Drills it from outside. The rapid fire threes coming from everywhere. I wasn’t sure they should try to get the three right back like that, but hey, it worked out for them. Now here is Sykes. She’s got 13. Pass to Doulson. Foul called that time on the way up and that’ll give her two chances at the free throw and she’ll take her third and fourth free throw shots of the night. Stephanie two shots shooting two. And the first one drops. [Music] [Applause] So she makes one of two as the second one misses. [Music] Horton with it. Outside Hayes. Martin. Thorton outside. Four on the shot clock. Shoots the three. Rebounded by the Mystics. Sykes outside. Pass to Sutton. Sykes. Screen by Sykes. Here’s Sutton. She tries for three. The rebound by Thornton. Now Martin. [Music] Now Hayes puts up a three and it’s Austin with the rebound. Even without that three ball dropping for her, the defense should have done way more on that last play. Yeah, I mean the def’s got to be better as a coach. You can’t stand seeing her having that much space to get her shot off. Now here is Sykes. She’s got 13. And it’s going to be a 3second call. Here’s [Applause] Hayes. She’s got 14. Pass to Martin. Thornton. [Applause] 3se second difference between the shot clock and the game clock. Fades. The Mystics pull it in. Sykes left side. And a pretty tightly contested game here as we end the first half. Mystics ahead up two. And time now for the halftime break with the third quarter soon to follow on 2K Sports. And it’s time for your fan half court shot. Please direct your attention to center court. Give me a beat. and measuring up the shot. [Applause] Oh, you one more time, a round of applause. Hey, hey, hey. We have a close ball game on our hands as we get set for the second half to get underway. Tiffany Hayes really making a difference here. She put on a show from three-point range in the first half. We’ll see if the halftime break had any cooling effect on her. Well, we’ll soon find out because I guarantee they’re going to keep feeding her the rock beyond the ark until she does cool off. [Applause] And here’s Sutton. Pass to Angler. Austin with it. It’s Britney Sykes on the wing looking to get it going. The shot comes out. She keeps trying to force it up when she’s guarded and she’s just getting brick after brick. Here’s my suggestion. move the ball around. Back to Hayes inside Billings. That evens the score. She always knows where her teammates are going to be and she’ll have that ball there waiting for them. Now, here is Sykes down low. Shakir Austin high post. Four on the clock. Thanks for the screen. Pass out to Sutton. Shoots a three. Another rebound by Thornton. Here’s Martin. Now Hayes. Now Billings. She’s guarded by Anxler. And here’s Martin [Applause] for the lead. Cans it from downtown. I admire Hayes’s vision. I mean, she’s pretty much aware and alert of everything happening on the court. There’s Sutton. They’re looking for a way to score here. Yeah, they’ve had a tough time taking the lid off. They got to score. Doulson with it. Pass to Sutton to the paint. Here’s Sykes. The rebound by Thornton. [Applause] Outside Hayes to the middle. Here’s Minlay. Takes the 12-footer and hits. What? Great touch to hit the fadeaway with the player right in her face. Washington trailing. [Music] Sykes outside to the inside. Pass to Doulson. Yes. And it’s Shakira Austin picking up the assist. And another night in night out. A threat to just go off. Doulson’s diverse offensive arsenal make her a great score. Now here is Hayes. 14 points for her. Now Thornton. [Applause] Now Martin [Applause] to the paint. And it’s Doulson with the rebound. And here’s Sutton. Pass to Doulson. Sykes. She’s guarded by Hayes. Sykes up top. Austin with it. It’s good. Everything you could possibly want in a guard. Britney Sykes is a tremendous distributor. [Applause] Just under three and a half minutes played here in the third quarter. Here’s the pick inside. Stephanie first team foul. And this is our first free throw of the game. Timmy, two shots. [Applause] Shooting two. [Applause] And the first one falls for her. [Applause] Both shots good from the stripe. We’ve gone about three and a half minutes into the third now. Here’s Sutton. She’s guarded by Hayes. Now here’s Angler. Still getting warmed up offensively. No buckets yet in the game for her. And she was camped there in the lane. And she gets the 3second call. Those those types of mistakes are magnified when it’s a tight game like this. [Applause] Here’s Hayes. 14 points for her. Pass to Thornton. Martin. There’s a screen. Outside. Hayes for three. Rebounded by the Mystics. Now Sutton. Watch the [Music] Hanksler for the tie and it’s Billings with the rebound. Hard to figure out why she didn’t bury that one. Not a defender near her. Right side. Hayes. And that one good. Think about Tiffany Hayes. She is putting on a show. Sykes with the ball. 13 points in this game. Here’s the three. Gets a three-pointer to fall. I’m not sure that was the play they had set up, but it was too good a look to pass up. And here’s Martin. Six points for her. Pass to Thornton. Now here is Hayes. [Music] She’s off on that one. Great D that time from Shakira Austin. And a 2020 third round pick show Sutton was actually out of the league until 2023. Well, she only played 12 games in the Wubble. She wasn’t in the W in 2021 or 2022. But Sutton had had a monster year 2023 in Phoenix. She was actually top 10 in the entire league in assists. Now, here is Hayes. She’s got 16. The shot was there for her. She had to take it. And I don’t care if she didn’t convert. She should take it again next time. And it’s Austin missing. Here’s Martin [Applause] outside. Hayes shoots it up again. Tiffany Hayes missing. Here’s the Mystics with the ball. Pass to Sutton. Here’s Austin for the lead. Angler with it. There’s the triple. The rebound by Thornton. Outside Hayes. [Music] And here’s Martin. guarded by Austin [Applause] on the wing. Kayla Thornton. Five on the clock. And the rebound goes to the Mystics now. Here is Sykes. Pass to Sutton. Back to Sykes. Angler. Here’s Doulson. Here’s Sykes and she lays it straight in. Good possession resulting in the easy one down low. Now Hayes, 16 points for her. Sykes with a strong contribution so far in this game. Good timeout. She’s absolutely dialed in from outside. They need to to close out on her much quicker and they need to figure out a way to stop her point. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. [Music] Heat. Heat. [Music] [Applause] So, both teams making some changes here. [Applause] [Music] And here’s Burton looking for a first basket still in this one. Another miss. And they’ve really hit a rough patch. Sykes outside from downtown. That shot off. Here’s Billings. [Music] Pass to Vanloo. And there’s the 3second violation. Washington. [Applause] The Mystics with the lead. [Music] Here’s Kona. Sykes. Austin with it. Fires at the elbow. Yep. Count it. Opportunistic shot by Austin. Finds the mid-range look and doesn’t waste it. Pass to Vanloo. [Applause] Here’s the three. And the rebound goes to the Mystics. Now Ket and here’s Melbourne. Now Sykes from deep buries it from three-point range. Puts her awareness on full display. Sykes knew exactly how much time she has for the shoot. Sykes with a strong contribution so far in this game. She just keeps drilling the big shots. They got to design a way to get the ball out of her hands. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. [Music] [Applause] The Lakers [Applause] It’s Burton. He hasn’t yet put up any points in this one. gets it to go from downtown. I tell you, she loves getting looks like that from three-point range. Just nobody near her. [Music] Al Melbourne. [Music] Here’s Kona. Brady Sykes outside and the Mystics hit again from deep. Well, I think she she owes the three-pointer dinner. It’s been her best friend today. No question. Well, it has been today anyway. I mean, look, most of her points have been courtesy of the deep ball. Here’s Zandellesini. She’s got six. Here’s Vanloo. Tried to answer back, but that three is off the mark. Sykes outside. Pulls up from the top of the key and it’s Billings with the rebound. Well, that’s just not a sight you see very often because she has a great feel for that jump shot, especially when she’s open. Soft touch off the glass. And her defender straight into that screen to open up the lane to the hoop. So, it’s Washington now leading by five now. Pune. Down low. Sykes takes the assist and lays it in. Picked out the pass nicely. Whenever your big is passing the rock like Austin, it’s a great sign for your squad’s ball movement. Fast to Delisini. [Applause] Here’s Vanloo from outside the arc. Drops in the tray. They can’t afford to give her that kind of look. Well, it came off a good screen, but still as a defender, you have to fight over the top of it. And you need some help as well. Here’s Pune. Now here is Sykes. [Music] [Applause] And it’s Billings with the rebound. Good on the shot. Billings. Here’s Melbourne. Block management. This is where they can get a two for one. I love the two for one. Every opportunity counts. [Music] Pass to sight. Shot on the wing. John Delosini pulls it in. 3se second difference between the shot clock and the game clock. Here’s Vanloo. Here’s Rupert guarded by Austin. And here’s Burton. Now Zandelisini. Just five to shoot. Now Roert Vanloo, she’s guarded by Sykes. Sand Delosini can’t get it to go and we have just finished the third quarter and a tight game. We’ve got the Mystics on top. They’re up by two and time to step away quickly, but we’ll be back in no time with the start of the fourth quarter. We welcome you back to what has been a good one here as we get into the fourth quarter. Now Burton fast as Delisini. Now Burton. Here’s Vanloo. And here’s Xanderini. Down to five on the shot clock. Bangs home the trifecta. The Mystics trailing. Sykes outside. There’s a screen. This one for three. Valid pulls it in. Here’s Vanloo. She’s guarded by Sykes. Fast to Zand Delazini. Can’t cash in from the high post on the wing. Emily Angler. [Music] A few possessions into the fourth quarter, just over one minute play. Sykes no good. It’s Burton. She is covered by Edwards. Here’s Vanloo. Burton pass to Roert to the inside and Sand Delosini gets it to go. The plan worked perfectly that possession. Get it inside. Get the high percentage shot. And they’re looking for some kind of spark here. Yeah, cold stretch offensively. They need a bucket. Sites with the ball. Takes the three. Kept alive. Let’s go with a three. That one no good. We’re about 2 minutes into the fourth quarter in this one. [Applause] Pass to Talbot Delini. [Applause] Here’s Burton. No good on the three. Oh, it’s Washington now. Nothing doing offensively yet for them in the fourth. Here’s [Music] Melbourne. Sykes left side to tie it up. Valvet pulls it in. This has not been a quarter to remember for her. I mean, what’s going on right now? What is this? She’s not making any sort of impact for them at that end of the court. Pass to Burton from the arc. The rebound by Melbourne. Anxler with it. Ka outside. Edwards back to Sykes. Tries to snap the cold streak. That shot off and she’s missing shot after shot after shot from long range. And with time running out, I think it’s time for her to try something else. Pass to Talbot. That one is off. Aaliyah Edwards strong defensive effort. A little over three and a half minutes in the books now for this fourth quarter. And here’s Melbourne. Edwards left side. Valvet pulls it in. [Applause] Here’s Vanloo. [Applause] Throws it up high. Burton. Rupert. No good. He should be thanking her for that miss. Now here’s Angler. Sykes outside to tie it up. Unable to get that one to go. Pass to Vanloo. It’s Burton. [Applause] Out to the wing. Vanloo. She’s guarded by Sykes. Talbet. No good. Sykes outside. [Applause] Pass to Melbourne. Shot to stop the drought and it’s good. Assisting on the play was Britney Sykes. And you’re seeing the selflessness from Britney Sykes right there. She is all about doing whatever is best for the team. Now Talbbert and here’s Burton. The shot no good. A chance here to retake the lead. Showing that intensity in these last few minutes. It’s Britney Sykes on the wing. Pass to Angler. Outside Edwards to take the lead. A rebound by Vanloo. It’s Burton. And here’s Xandelini. Pass to Burton. The three good on the triple. [Applause] Al Melbourne. Washington calls timeout. I think the coach is watching a lot of shots they normally make out. And it has to be frustrating. Maybe see if they could create some scoring opportunities at the free throw line. That may be the answer for them. But you know, ultimately I expect them to shoot their way out of this slot. Now for your rap. [Music] I don’t know. [Music] [Applause] [Applause] Both teams deciding to change it up. [Applause] Here’s Angler. Pass to Sutton. [Music] Screen by Austin. Just four to shoot. And another miss by Washington outside Hayes. Now Billings. She’s guarded by Sykes. Here’s Martin. Pass to Menlay. [Music] Shoots over Austin. Benlay can’t hit. The Mystics trailing. Here’s Sutton. Great D that time from Tiffany Hayes beyond the arc. Rebounded by Sites. They had some coverage that turned into no coverage. And when she’s open like that, you don’t see her miss that sort of look very often. Now here’s Anxler. Pass to Sutton. [Applause] Screen by Austin from deep. Sutton with the bucket and it’s a tie ball game. Perfect screen there. Center up to a terrific look. Yeah, but that’s a bad job by the defender to not fight through that screen to contest. You want to see more effort there. Now here is Hayes. Pass to Menlay. Shoots over Austin. Benlay can’t hit. She operates well in traffic, but still a tough play to finish off. Now Sutton Sykes inside to take the lead. So they take the lead. That pass led her so perfectly. She didn’t even have to break stride. Hayes with it. Pass to Martin. And here is F Benlayton outside her three. Tiffany Hayes rebounded by the Mystics. She can’t get anything to drop. And the way she’s going, it’s probably not something she should try to to shoot her way out of. And I’m sure her teammates would agree with that. You know, the last thing they want to see her doing is shooting it more. Now here is Hayes. Thon up top. Billings guarded by Doulson. Clock at six. [Applause] Pass to Martin. Three-pointer. That drops and it comes off an assist from Tiffany Hayes. Yeah. Well, with eagle-eyed vision, Hayes has earned a reputation as a capable distributor. Now here’s Angler Austin. Britney Sykes outside Doulson in the post and it’s Billings with the rebound. [Applause] And here’s Martin. Pass to Billings. [Applause] outside Hayes. [Applause] Shot clock at six. And here’s Martin. He’s guarded by Hanker. Anthony Hayes for three. This has been a rough second half for her shooting the ball. She should probably adopt a pass first mentality at this point. Sykes. Good work defensively by Kayla Thornton. Now Martin has to Pag Menlay. to the paint. Whisper ball needs to miss her basket for a fifth happy pairing of the game. She’s five for nine. They carried out the plan perfectly that time around. Now here is Sykes looking to end her cold spell and she gets a jumper to drop. In big moments, Sykes does not lack aggressiveness. If she can make a difference, she will. to the middle. There’s Bentley. Rebounded by Sykes. So, it’s Washington now to the inside. Pass to Sutton trying her from deep and it’s Billings with the rebound. 7second difference between the shot clock and the game clock and they’ll be trying to take as much time off the clock as they can. Exactly. Expect to see some long possessions out of them from this point forward. Milk the clock. Here’s Bentley. Morton outside knocks down the three. That just adds to what’s probably already an insurmountable lead. I think they’ll be leaving here with a win. Yeah. Hard to imagine any other outcome than the one that’s staring us right in the face. Time called here. The Mystics decide to talk it over. Time is the big factor here. Need to get the points fast and then foul. Yeah, Tim. And it has to be a quick foul. Every second is critical at this stage. Yeah, they cannot waste any time if they want to come back. Here’s Doulson. off with the layup. And so the road team gets the W in this one. This was a hard fought, well-earned victory for them. They really had to work for this one. Yeah, weaker teams, they might have buckled at the end. You know, really with that crowd amped up, everyone in the building against them, but they stood tall and pulled it out. That’ll do it for our broadcast, everyone. I am banana and Tim Schwarz. I’m Blake Suniga and we’re thrilled to have you with us. And with a moment here before we get to the tip off, here are tonight’s starting lineups. [Applause] and the trademark of both of these teams, strong defense. Got to love it. What will that mean for tonight’s contest? Well, the coaches will have a big role in a strength-on strength matchup. Game planning takes on added importance. And one more thing about these teams, Brian, I mean, there is no shortage of effort. Now, here is Hayes. Jacks up a three and she’s good on the three ball. Getting great lift on her shot. Hayes can really drain him from three. Now Sutton Sykes outside. [Music] The rebound by Thornton. And here’s Martin. Thornton outside. Back to Hayes. Six on the shot clock. Here’s Billings. Rebounded by the Mystics. [Music] Pass to Sutton. Back to Sykes. And here’s Doulson. [Music] Now Sutton expanding her range. It’s not going to go for her. Here’s Martin. The three is up. Comes out of the gate empty. [Music] Now Sutton pass to Sykes. Doulson. Screen by Sykes. Here’s Sutton from beyond the arc. That one falls coming off Stephanie Doulson speed. Here’s Hayes. Just about two minutes into the game. First quarter of basketball. the three and it’s Doulson with the rebound. Here’s Sutton. She’s guarded by Hayes. Pass to Angler. Austin Sykes outside. That one’s in. Her first basket of the game. She is one for two. Well, this is how you finish inside. Britney Sykes going up with confidence. And here is Feb Ben guarded by Austin. And here is Feb Ben. Pass to Billings. the three and it’s Austin with the rebound. The Mystics leading. When you look at this Washington team, they hang their hat on defense. That’s the priority. Yeah, last year they were fourth in defensive rating. They have a great coaching staff that helps with scouting reports, defensive schemes that we’ll see. And the Mystics do a great job, you know, executing those scouting reports. Pass to Hayes. Rebounded by Sites. There was just enough defensive pressure to get her off balance from outside the arc. No good there. You know, she shouldn’t miss those, but you know, it happened to the best of them. Now, here is Hayes to the middle. Thon outside. Pass to Martin. Gorton with it to stop the drought. Doesn’t get it to drop for. Here’s Sutton. Now Angler Sykes outside. It’s hauled in by Tiffany Hayes. Pass to Martin. Here’s Thornton. Hayes and good coming off the assist by Kayla Thornton. Takes pride in each performance. Hayes is the centerpiece of everything her team does. Now here is Doulson. Anxler with it. She hasn’t scored yet. That I’m sure will change. Here’s Sykes. No good on that shot. Good work defensively by Kayla Thornton. Here’s Billings. Misses and close. The Mystics trailing. Now Sutton. Sykes outside. Takes the three. Sinks the triple. Well, beyond the RX, Sykes can be pretty choosy cuz she finds an angle she likes and drills it. And here is Hayes. Six points for her. Pass to Martin. Bag. Benlay guarded by Austin. Fades and shoots. Hits some rim on the way in. And the bucket’s good. Next time she has that much space, she should just go straight up with it. and leave the fadeaway at home. Sykes outside, fires from deep again. Britney Sykes missing. Now here is Hayes. Pass to Martin. Tiffany Hayes on the wing. The three-pointer off the mark. You don’t want to give up that kind of look often. They’re very lucky he didn’t get burnt. And here’s Sutton. [Applause] Tries a three. Martin pulls it in. Tiffany Hayes on the wing. Pass to Martin. Back Ben. [Music] to the wing on the left. [Music] Gorton with it. Here’s Banlay. Guarded by Austin Martin. Good on the three-point shot. You know what? I don’t care how far from the bucket she is. You’ve got to have a defender on her. She’s just too good from long range. Here’s Sutton. Sykes outside. Here’s Austin off target with the jump hook. [Applause] Here’s Hayes. [Applause] Now Martin [Applause] spins [Applause] from the arc and the rebound goes to the Mystics and they could use a big shot here to get this offense going. Yeah, too many empty possessions. I mean, it’s simple. Oh, they need points. And it’s going to be out of bounds. The Mystics will retain possession. Substitution. [Applause] Now, here is Doulson. Tight defense on her. Doulson with the screen. And another miss by Washington. Beyond the arc, Martin. No bueno. Sykes with the ball. She has five. Pass to Melbourne to the paint. Dolson outside for Sykes. Shot clock at five to end the drought. No good that time. You know, she keeps jacking up those threes without much to show for it. She’s going to lose the green light very early in this game if this keeps up. Now Peg Benley, no one near her. And that one comes up a bit short. And here’s Sutton. Pass to Melbourne. Austin. Britney Sykes for three. Sinks the three-pointer. It’s a tie ball game. I saw a little confusion amongst the D as to who was supposed to be guarding her. Outside Hayes. Now Benlay guarded by Doulson. A nice shot by Fenlay. [Applause] Now here is Sykes. She’s got eight. [Music] Over to the wing from deep. Melbourne. Shot is off. Now here is Hayes. Guarded closely. Pass to Billings. It’s Burton. And there’s the pick. And it’s Austin with the rebound. And here’s Washington trailing by two. Here’s Sutton. [Applause] It’s Britney Sykes on the wing. Screen by Austin. Six to shoot. Two open that time. Made it look easy. She can beat you in a lot of different ways. Sykes is dangerous in the pick and roll game because she can handle the ball too outside. Hayes laid in with a nice touch off the glass. Took advantage of some shotty D there. They got to at least get a finger on her. [Music] Sykes right side down low. Doulson in the post. Burton with the rebound. Pass to Martin inside. Great D that time from Shakira Austin. Terrific job defending the basket that time. It’s not an easy task stopping her when she’s headed to the rim. And here’s Melbourne [Music] Goolson. And a foul called on the shot. Got her on the way up that time. So she’ll shoot two. The mobility of Doulson coupled with her sides. It’s very difficult once she gets inside to stop. Sometimes you have to foul. [Applause] The first one falls. [Applause] And so she hits both. Now Burton quiet so far offensively searching for her first points of the game. Pass to Vanloo. There’s the three and the rebound goes to the Mystics. And here’s Melbourne. [Applause] Here’s Kune. Doulson with it. [Applause] And the go-ahead bucket. No good. So the first quarter ends. The tie game and a lowscoring one so far. And back in a moment as we’ll get underway with quarter two. [Applause] And so far it’s been a closely contested game as we get the second quarter going. And for the Mystics guys, what jumps out to you statwise? A lot of trips to the line for them through the first. Very aggressive offensively and they’re making full use of their homecourt advantage. I’ll tell you that much. Fans have really helped them [Applause] and Washington has possession. Pass to Ka Sykes with the ball. for three and Britney Sykes gets the three. Remember, she’s on the court to do this score. Sykes can fill it up once she gets going. You know, we try to not play favorites, but the truth is we’re all fans here. So guys, who is your favorite player to watch? This is easy. I got to go with Sabrina Yanescu, who’s also from my hometown of Walnick Creek. She plays so unselfish, but also has an amazing three-point shot, so she can score in bunches. Yeah, I’m a big Kelsey Plum fan. You know, I love players who can shoot, and Kelsey certainly can do that. But she also has other parts of her game that are very good. And of course, I mean, lefties, they just make everything look better. Here’s Zandelini. Pass to Thornton. Vanloo. Let’s go with a three. And Zandelini is good for three. I mean, that shot just becomes effortless for her when the defense is so relaxed like that. Now, [Music] now Sykes the three ball. They get it back. Here’s Edwards and she gets the friendly spin and that one drops. Second quarter of basketball. About one minute played so far. Pass to Vanloo. Now here is Thornton. Well, Kayla Thornton loves these freebies and she’s able to contribute a lot for her team. First question, first team and first trip to the free throw line for her in this one. Kayla Thornton. Two shots. [Applause] [Applause] And she knocks down the first one. [Applause] and that’s good as she hits both shots. Just over a minute has passed here in the second quarter. Pass to Angler Melbourne. Sykes outside. Five to shoot. [Applause] A rebound by Vanloo. It’s been a little while since they’ve been in the lead and that’s why this is such an important possession for them. Lets it go from deep. Still looking for a first make after that miss. 0 for two. The Mystics with the lead. Sykes outside. And we’re about 2 minutes into the second quarter here. Here’s Zandellesini. Picked by Thornton. And that misses. That would have put them up. The Mystics on offense. Sykes outside. Pass to Ka. And here’s Angler. [Applause] Sykes. Britney Scythe. Can’t get that one to fall. [Applause] Here in quarter two. We’ve played a little over two and a half minutes now. Here’s Vanloo. Now Burton [Applause] fast is Z on Dellesini from past the arc. It’s good from long range. The Mystics trailing now. Melbourne. She’s been patient so far. Nothing yet on the scoreboard. And there it is. And here’s Burton. Nastini. And here’s Burton. [Music] And a little under three and a half minutes are lapsed in the second quarter play. Vanloo. Thornton with it. Zandelini. It’s Burton. Fires the three. Edwards grabs the miss. Sykes outside, makes the three. Second chance shot and Edwards lays it in. Coach has always told me that if you battle for offensive rebounds, you’re guaranteed a high quality shot on the follow just like she got there. Now, here is Thornton. No good from 11 ft. Here’s Melbourne to the inside. Here’s Edwards. The shot that time not on target. Here’s Zandellesini. She’s guarded by Angler. [Applause] Pass to Burton. Vanloo. [Applause] They set the pick. Fires for three. Drills the three-pointer. And Washington has possession. Now Angler. Edwards with it from the baseline. They get it back. Tries yet again. And so she earns a trip to the line. Officials saw the contact and she’ll shoot two. What a play in attack mode and get inside. And the defense gets their money’s worth on that foul. Stopping the layup and not giving up the and one. That’s her first trip to the line. Take a break. Take a break. Two shots. [Applause] The first free throw is good. Well, there’s lots of ways you can build a team. What do you think is the best route, Tim? Well, optimally you want to draft and develop, but that’s tough to do because it’s hard to find rookies in second-year players who have a major impact. So, you need to have patience if you want to draft and develop. Yeah. So, I I like the teams that make smart trades, whether it’s taking in picks, cashing in for a star. Asset management is the name of the game. Pass to Vanloo. Now Talbot launches it. Rebounded by Sykes. Now Kon now Melbourne. Kona. Nolen with it. Nails the baby hook. scoring inside. It’s about a lot of things. To me, touch is most important. And Doulson knows how to get the ball in the hoop. Pass to Talbot. [Applause] And here’s Roert. [Applause] Here’s Vanloo. No scoring yet for Perr, but that’s likely to change. Launches a three and it’s Dolson with the rebound and Washington has possession. It’s a three-point game. Here’s Kune. [Music] Brandy Sykes outside. The shot misses. Yeah, I’ll tell you, her three-point shot has looked pretty bad here in the second half. She’s trying to shoot her way out of this slump, but I think she’s got to give it a rest and try something else. Pass to Hayes. Vanloo. [Applause] Outside Hayes. Here’s Vanloo. Lets the three fly and that one’s good. Hayes and that’ll tie this game up. With often praised intangibles, Hayes is able to consistently put the ball through the bucket. Master Sykes. Nolson sets a screen. Sykes. No good. I’m not sure why she keeps trying her luck from deep. It’s just not working for her. Three. Tiffany Hayes. The Mystics pull it in. Now Ket [Music] pass to Doulson. And here’s Melbour back to Doulson. Shoots it. The long distance three is buried. Showing out her ability to be a stretch five. Stephanie Doulson is more than capable of hitting from way downtown. Here’s Talbot. She hasn’t yet put up any points in this one. Now here is Hayes. Pass to Vanloo. And here’s Roert. She’s covered by Edwards. Here’s Hayes. Three-pointer again. Tiffany Hayes missing. And here’s Melbourne. Now Sykes. [Music] Edwards with the screen. Sykes. No good. Not a whole lot going down for her. She can’t catch a break. Here’s Talbot. They set a pick pass to Roert. And here is Hayes. This one for three. Here’s Minlay. And the rebound paying off as they pick up two on the second chance bucket right there. The Mystics with the lead. Sykes outside Melbourne. Pass to Doulson. The tray and the three ball is good. When a player has confidence like Doulson, you see the pass coming and expect her to take the shot immediately. Here’s Talbot. Here’s Vanloo. She’s guarded by Sykes. Here’s Talbot. Hayes with it. Three-pointer. Drills it from outside. The rapid fire threes coming from everywhere. I wasn’t sure they should try to get the three right back like that, but hey, it worked out for them. Now here is Sykes. She’s got 13. Pass to Doulson. Foul called that time on the way up. And that’ll give her two chances at the free throw push. And she’ll take her third and fourth free throw shots of the night. Stephanie shot two. And the first one dropped. [Music] [Applause] So she makes one of two as the second one misses. [Music] Horton with it. Outside Hayes. Martin. Thorton outside. Four on the shot clock. Shoots the three. Rebounded by the Mystics. Sykes outside. Pass to Sutton. Sykes. Screen by Sykes. Here’s Sutton. She tries for three. The rebound by Thornton. Now Martin [Music] now Hayes puts up a three and it’s Austin with the rebound. Even without that three ball dropping for her, the defense should have done way more on that last play. Yeah, I mean the D’s got to be better as a coach. You can’t stand seeing her having that much space to get her shot off. Now here is Sykes. She’s got 13 and it’s going to be a 3second call. [Applause] Here’s Hayes. She’s got 14. Pass to Martin. Thornton. [Applause] 3 second difference between the shot clock and the game clock. Fades. The Mystics pull it in. Sykes left side. And a pretty tightly contested game here as we end the first half. Mystics ahead up two. And time now for the halftime break with the third quarter soon to follow on 2K Sports. And it’s time for your half court shot. Please direct your attention to center court. Give me a beat. They’re measuring up the shot. [Applause] Oh, you one more time, a round of applause. Heat. Heat. We have a close ball game on our hands as we get set for the second half to get underway. Tiffany Hayes really making a difference here. She put on a show from three-point range in the first half. We’ll see if the halftime break had any cooling effect on her. Well, we’ll soon find out because I guarantee they’re going to keep feeding her the rock beyond the ark until she does cool off. [Applause] And here’s Sutton. Pass to Angler. Austin with it. It’s Britney Sykes on the wing looking to get it going. The shot comes out. She keeps trying to force it up when she’s guarded and she’s just getting brick after brick. Here’s my suggestion. Move the ball around. Back to Hayes inside Billings. That evens the score. She always knows where her teammates are going to be and she’ll have that ball there waiting for them. Now, here is Sykes. down low. Jakir Austin high post. Four on the clock. Angster the screen out to Sutton. Shoots a three. Another rebound by Thornton. Here’s Martin. Now Hayes, now Billings. She’s guarded by Anxler. And here’s Martin [Applause] for the lead. Cans it from downtown. I admire Hayes’s vision. I mean, she’s pretty much aware and alert of everything happening on the court. Dear Sutton, they’re looking for a way to score here. Yeah, they’ve had a tough time taking the lid off. They got to score. Doulson with it. Pass to Sutton. To the paint. Here’s Sykes. The rebound by Thornton. [Applause] Outside. Hayes to the middle. Here’s Minlay. Takes the 12-footer and hits. What? Great touch. It hits the fade away with the player right in her face. Washington trailing. Sykes outside to the inside. Pass to Doulson. Yes. And it’s Shakira Austin picking up the assist. And another night in night out. A threat to just go off. Doulson’s diverse offensive arsenal make her a great score. Now here is Hayes. 14 points for her. Now Thornton. [Applause] Now Martin [Applause] to the paint. And it’s Doulson with the rebound. And here’s Sutton. Pass to Doulson. Sykes. She’s guarded by Hayes. Sykes up top. Austin with it. It’s good. Everything you could possibly want in a guard. Britney Sykes is a tremendous distributor. [Applause] Just under three and a half minutes played here in the third quarter. Here’s the pick inside. Missed foul. Stephanie, first personal foul. First team foul. And this is our first free throw of the game. Timmy Fenland. Two shots. [Applause] Shooting two. [Applause] And the first one falls forward. [Applause] Both shots good from the stripe. We’ve gone about three and a half minutes into the third now. Here’s Sutton. She’s guarded by Hayes. Now here’s Angler. Still getting warmed up offensively. No buckets yet in the game for her. And she was camped there in the lane. And she gets the 3second call. Those those types of mistakes are magnified when it’s a tight game like this. Here’s [Applause] Hayes. 14 points for her. Pass to Thornton. Martin. There’s a screen [Music] outside. Hayes for three. Rebounded by the Mystics. Now Sutton [Music] Hanksler for the tie and it’s Billings with the rebound. Hard to figure out why she didn’t bury that one. Not a defender near her. Right side Hayes and that one good. Think about Tiffany Hayes. She is putting on a show. Sykes with the ball. 13 points in this game. [Music] Here’s the three. Gets the three-pointer to fall. I’m not sure that was the play they had set up, but it was too good a look to pass up. And here’s Martin. Six points for her. Pass to Thornton. Now here is Hayes. [Music] She’s off on that one. Great D that time from Shakira Austin. And a 2020 third round pick. Choke Sutton was actually out of the league until 2023. Well, she only played 12 games in the Wubble. She wasn’t in the W in 2021 or 2022, but Sutton had had a monster year 2023 in Phoenix. She was actually top 10 in the entire league in assists. Now, here is Hayes. She’s got 16. The shot was there for her. She had to take it. And I don’t care if she didn’t convert. She should take it again next time. And it’s Austin missing. Here’s Martin. [Applause] Outside. Hayes. Shoots it up again. Tiffany Hayes missing. Here’s the Mystics with the ball. Pass to Sudden. Here’s Austin. For the lead Angler with it. There’s the trickle. The rebound by Thornton outside. Hayes. [Music] And here’s Martin. Guarded by Austin [Applause] on the wing. Kayla Thornton. Five on the clock. And the rebound goes to the Mystics. Now here is Sykes. Pass to Sutton. Back to Sykes. Angler. Here’s Doulson. Here’s Sykes. And she lays it straight in. Good possession resulting in the easy one down low. Now Hayes. 16 points for her. Sykes with a strong contribution so far in this game. Good timeout. She’s absolutely dialed in from outside. They need to to close out on her much quicker and they need to figure out a way to stop him from Heat [Music] up here. [Music] [Applause] So, both teams making some changes here. [Applause] and go. You get one. [Applause] [Music] And here’s Burton looking for first basket still in this one. Another miss and they’ve really hit a rough patch. Sykes outside from downtown. That shot off. Here’s Billings. [Music] Pass to Vanloo. And there’s the 3second violation. Washington. [Applause] The Mystics with the lead. Here’s Ka Sykes. Austin with it. Fires at the elbow. Yeah, count it. Opportunistic shot by Austin. Finds the mid-range look and doesn’t waste it. Pass to Vanloo. [Applause] Here’s the three and the rebound goes to the Mystics now. Kon and here’s Melbourne. Now Sykes from deep buries it from three-point range. Puts her awareness on full display. Sykes knew exactly how much time she has for the catch shoot. Sykes with a strong contribution so far in this game. She just keeps drilling the big shots. They got to design a way to get the ball out of her hands. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. [Music] [Applause] Go on the Lakers. [Applause] It’s Burton. He hasn’t yet put up any points in this one. [Music] Pass to Roert. John Dellesini. Just five on the clock. And Lou gets it to go from downtown. I tell you, she loves getting looks like that from three-point range. Just nobody near her. [Music] Al Melbourne. [Music] Here’s Ka. Britney Sykes outside and the Mystics hit again from deep. Well, I think she she owes the three-pointer dinner. It’s been her best friend today. No question. Well, it has been today anyway. I mean, look, most of her points have been courtesy of the deep ball. Here’s Zandelini. She’s got six. Here’s Vanloo. Tried to answer back, but that three is off the mark. Sykes outside, pulls up from the top of the key and it’s Billings with the rebound. Well, that’s just not a sight you see very often because she has a great feel for that jump shot, especially when she’s open. Soft touch off the glass. Ran her defender straight into that screen to open up the lane to the hoop. So it’s Washington now leading by five. Now Pune down low. Sykes takes the assist and lays it in. Picked out the pass nicely. But whenever your big is passing the rock like Austin, it’s a great sign for your squad’s ball movement. Pass to Zandelini. [Applause] Here’s Vanloo from outside the arc. Drops in the tray. They can’t afford to give her that kind of look. Well, it came off a good screen, but still as a defender, you have to fight over the top of it. And you need some help as well. Here’s Kune. Now here is Sykes [Music] [Applause] and it’s Billings with the rebound. Good on the shot. Billings. Here’s Melbourne. Block management. This is where they can get a two for one. I love the two for one. Every opportunity counts. [Music] Pass to Sykes. Shot on the wing. John Delosini pulls it in. 3 second difference between the shot clock and the game clock. Here’s Vanloo. Here’s Rupert guarded by Austin. And here’s Burton. Now Zandelisini. Just five to shoot. Now Roert Vanloo. She’s guarded by Sykes. John Dellesini can’t get it to go. And we have just finished the third quarter and a tight game. We’ve got the Mystics on top. They’re up by two. And time to step away quickly, but we’ll be back in no time with the start of the fourth quarter. [Applause] We welcome you back to what has been a good one here as we get into the fourth quarter. Now Burton fast as Delazini. Now Burton. Here’s Vanloo. And here’s Xandelini. Down to five on the shot clock. Bangs home the trifecta. The Mystics trailing. Sykes outside. There’s a screen. This one for three. Valvet pulls it in. Here’s Vanloo. She’s guarded by Sykes. Fastest on Delosini. Can’t cash in from the high post. On the wing, Emily Angler. [Music] A few possessions into the fourth quarter. Just over one minute played. Sykes. No good. It’s Burton. She’s covered by Edwards. Here’s Vanloo. Burton. Pass to Roupert to the inside and Sandalini gets it to go. The plan worked perfectly that possession. Get it inside. Get the high percentage shots. And they’re looking for some kind of spark here. Yeah, full stretch offensively. They need a bucket. Sites with the ball. Takes the three. Kept alive. Let’s go with a three. That one no good. We’re about 2 minutes into the fourth quarter in this one. [Applause] Pass to Talbot Vandelisini. [Applause] Here’s Burton. No good on the three. Oh, it’s Washington now. Nothing doing offensively yet for them in the fourth. Here’s Melbourne. Sykes left side to tie it up. Valvet pulls it in. This has not been a quarter to remember for her. I mean, what’s going on right now? What is this? She’s not making any sort of impact for them at that end of the court. Pass to Burton from the arc. The rebound by Melbourne. Angler with it. Con. outside. Edwards back to Sykes. Tries to snap the cold streak. That shot off. And she’s missing shot after shot after shot from long range. And with time running out, I think it’s time for her to try something else. Pass to Talbot. That one is off. Aaliyah Edwards strong defensive effort. A little over three and a half minutes in the books now for this fourth quarter. And here’s Melbourne. Con Edwards left side. Valvet pulls it in. Here’s Vanloo. [Applause] Throws it up high. Burton. Rupert. No good. Should be thanking her for that miss. Now here’s Angler. Sykes outside to tie it up. Unable to get that one to go. Pass to Vanloo. It’s Burton. [Applause] Out to the wing. Vanloo. She’s guarded by Sykes. Talbet. No good. Sykes outside pass to Melbourne. Shot to stop the drought and it’s good. Assisting on the play was Britney Sykes and you’re seeing the selflessness from Britney Sykes right there. She is all about doing whatever is best for the team. Now Talbbert and here’s Burton. The shot no good. A chance here to retake the lead. Showing that intensity in these last few minutes. It’s Britney Sykes on the wing. Pass to Angler. Outside Edwards to take the lead. A rebound by Vanloo. It’s Burton. And here’s Xanderini. Pass to Burton. The three good on the triple. [Applause] Now Melbourne Washington calls timeout. I think the coach is watching a lot of shots they normally make out. And it has to be frustrating. Maybe see if they could create some scoring opportunities at the free throw line. That may be the answer for them. But you know ultimately I expect them to shoot their way out of this line. Now break the death. [Music] Heat. Heat. [Music] [Applause] [Applause] Both teams deciding to change it up. [Applause] Here’s [Applause] Angler. Pass to Sutton. [Music] Screen by Austin. Just four to shoot. And another miss by Washington. Outside Hayes. Now Billings. She’s guarded by Sykes. Here’s Martin. Pass to Benlay. Shoots over Austin. Benlay can’t hit. The Mystics trailing. Here’s Sutton. Great D that time from Tiffany Hayes. beyond the arc, rebounded by Sites. They had some lots of coverage that turned into no coverage. And when she’s open like that, you don’t see her miss that sort of look very often. Now, here’s Angler. Pass to Sutton. Screen by Austin from deep. Sutton with the bucket. And it’s a tie ball game. Perfect screen there. Center up to a terrific look. Yeah, but that’s a bad job by the defender to not fight through that screen to contest. You want to see more effort there. Now here is Hayes. Pass to Menlay. Shoots over Austin. Benlay can’t hit. She operates well in traffic, but still a tough play to finish off. Now Sutton Sykes inside to take the lead. So they take the lead. That pass led her so perfectly. She didn’t even have to break stride. Hayes with it. Pass to Martin. And here is Beg Benley. Horton outside her three. Tiffany Hayes rebounded by the Mystics. She can’t get anything to drop. And the way she’s going, it’s probably not something she should try to to shoot her way out of. And I’m sure her teammates would agree with that. You know, the last thing they want to see her doing is shooting it more. Now here is Hayes Horton up top. Billings guarded by Doulson. Clock at six. [Applause] Pass to Martin. Three-pointer that drops and it comes off an assist from Tiffany Hayes. Yeah, well with eagleeyed vision, Hayes has earned a reputation as a capable distributor. Now here’s Angler Austin. Britney Sykes outside Doulson in the post and it’s Billings with the rebound and here’s Martin. Pass to Billings [Applause] outside Hayes. [Applause] Shot clock at six. And here’s Martin. He’s guarded by Hanker. Anthony Hayes for three. This has been a rough second half for her shooting the ball. She should probably adopt a pass first mentality at this point. Sites. Good work defensively by Kayla Thornton. Now Martin passed to Bag Menlay to the paint. Missed the ball. Needs to miss her basket for a fifth happy pairing of the game. She’s five for nine. They carried out the plan perfectly that time around. And now here is Sykes looking to end her cold spell and she gets a jumper to drop. In big moments, Sykes does not lack aggressiveness. If she can make a difference, she will the middle. There’s Bentley. Rebounded by Sykes. So, it’s Washington now to the inside. Pass to Sutton trying her from deep and it’s Billings with the rebound. 7second difference between the shot clock and the game clock and they’ll be trying to take as much time off the clock as they can. Exactly. Expect to see some long possessions out of them from this point forward. Milk the clock. Here’s Benley. Morton outside. Knocks down the three. That just adds to what’s probably already an insurmountable lead. I think they’ll be leaving here with a win. Yeah, hard to imagine any other outcome than the one that’s staring us right in the face. Time called here. The Mystics decide to talk it over. Time is the big factor here. You need to get the points fast and then foul. Yeah, Tim. And it has to be a quick foul. Every second is critical at this stage. Yeah, they cannot waste any time if they want to come back. Here’s Doulson. Off with the layup. And so the road team gets the W in this one. This was a hardfought, well-earned victory for them. They really had to work for this one. Yeah, weaker teams, they might have buckled at the end, you know, really with that crowd amped up. everyone in the building ring against them, but they stood tall and pulled it out. That’ll do it for our broadcast, everyone. Banana and Tim Schwarz. I’m Blake Sunniga and we’re thrilled to have you with us. And with a moment here before we get to the tip off, here are tonight’s starting lineups. [Applause] And the trademark of both of these teams, strong defense. Got to love it. What will that mean for tonight’s contest? Well, the coaches will have a big role in a strength-on strength matchup. Game planning takes on added importance. And one more thing about these teams, Brian, I mean, there is no shortage of effort. Now, here is Hayes. Jacks up a three and she’s good on the three ball. Getting great lift on her shot. Haze can really drain him from three. Now Sutton Sykes outside. The rebound by Thornton. And here’s Martin. Thornton outside. Back to Hayes. Six on the shot clock. Here’s Billings. Rebounded by the Mystics. [Music] Pass to Sutton. Back to Sykes. And here’s Doulson. [Music] Now Sutton expanding her range. It’s not going to go for her. Here’s Martin. The three is up. Comes out of the gate. Empty. [Music] Now Sutton. Pass to Sykes. Doulson. Screened by Sykes. Here’s Sutton from beyond the arc. That one falls coming off Stephanie Doulson’s feet. Here’s Hayes. Just about 2 minutes into the game. First quarter of basketball. The three and it’s Doulson with the rebound. Here’s Sutton. She’s guarded by Hayes. Pass to Angler. Austin Sykes outside. That one’s in. Her first basket of the game. She is one for two. Well, this is how you finish inside. Britney Sykes going up with confidence. And here is Beg Benley guarded by Austin. And here is Veg Benlay. Pass to Billings. The three and it’s Austin with the rebound. The Mystics leading. When you look at this Washington team, they hang their hat on defense. That’s the priority. Yeah, last year they were fourth in defensive rating. They have a great coaching staff that helps with scouting reports, defensive schemes that we’ll see. And the Mystics do a great job, you know, executing those scattering reports. Pass to Hayes. Rebounded by Sykes. There was just enough defensive pressure to get her off balance from outside the arc. No good there. You know, she shouldn’t miss those, but you know, it happened to the best of them. Now here is Hayes to the middle. Thon outside pass to Martin. Gorton with it to stop the drought. Doesn’t get it to drop for her. Here’s Sutton. Now Angler. Randy Sykes outside. It’s hauled in by Tiffany Hayes. Pass to Martin. Here’s Thornton. [Music] Hayes. And good. Coming off the assist by Kayla Thornton. Takes pride in each performance. Hayes is the centerpiece of everything her team does. Now here is Doulson Angler with it. She hasn’t scored yet. That I’m sure will change. Here’s Sykes. No good on that shot. Good work defensively by Kayla Thornton. Here’s Billings. Misses and close. The Mystics trailing. Now Sutton Sykes outside, picks the three, sinks the triple. Well, beyond the arc, Sykes can be pretty choosy cuz she finds an angle she likes and drills it. And here’s Hayes. Six points for her. Pass to Martin. Bag Benlay guarded by Austin. fades and shoots. Hits some rim on the way in and the bucket’s good. Next time she has that much space, she should just go straight up with it. Hey, leave the fade away at home. Sykes outside, fires from deep again. Britney Sykes missing. Now here is Hayes. Pass to Martin. Tiffany Hayes on the wing. The three-pointer off the mark. You don’t want to give up that kind of look often. They’re very lucky they didn’t get burnt. And here’s Sutton. [Applause] Tries a three. Martin pulls it in. Tiffany Hayes on the wing. Pass to Martin. Bag Benlay [Music] to the wing on the left. [Music] Gorton with it. Here’s Bag Benlay. Guarded by Austin Martin. Good on the three-point shot. You know what? I don’t care how far from the bucket she is. You’ve got to have a defender on her. She’s just too good from long range. Here’s Sutton. Sykes outside. Here’s Austin off target with the jump hook. [Applause] Here’s Hayes. [Applause] Now Martin [Applause] spins. from the arc and the rebound goes to the Mystics. And they could use a big shot here to get this offense going. Yeah, too many empty possessions. I mean, it’s simple. They need points. And it’s going to be out of bounds. The Mystics will retain possession. Substitution. [Applause] Now here is Doulson. Tight defense on her. Doulson with the screen. And another miss by Washington beyond the arc. Martin. No bueno. Sykes with the ball. She has five. Pass to Melbourne. to the paint. Dolson outside for Sykes. Shot clock at five to end the drought. No good that time. You know, she keeps jacking up those threes without much to show for it. She’s going to lose the green light very early in this game if this keeps up. Now Beg Benley one near her and that one comes up a bit short. And here’s Sutton. Pass to Melbourne. Austin. Britney Sykes for three. Sinks the three-pointer. It’s a tie ball game. I saw a little confusion amongst the D as to who was supposed to be guarding her. outside Hayes. Now Fagg Benley guarded by Doulson. A nice shot by Fug Benley. [Applause] Now here is Sykes. She’s got eight. [Music] Over to the wing from deep. Melbourne shot is off now. Here is Hayes guarded closely. Pass to Billings. It’s Burton. And there’s the pick. And it’s Austin with the rebound. And here’s Washington trailing by two. Here’s Sutton. [Applause] It’s Britney Sykes on the wing. Screen by Austin. Six to shoot. Two open that time. Made it look easy. She can beat you in a lot of different ways. Sykes is dangerous in the pick and roll game because she can handle the ball too. Outside Hayes. laid in with a nice touch off the glass. Took advantage of some shoddy D there. They got to at least get a finger on her. [Music] Sykes right side down low. Doulson in the post. Burton with the rebound. Pass to Martin inside. Great D that time from Shakira Austin. Terrific job defending the basket that time. It’s not an easy task stopping her when she’s headed to the rim. [Music] And a foul called on the shot. Got her on the way up that time. So she’ll shoot two. The mobility of Doulson coupled with her size. It’s very difficult once she gets inside to stop. Sometimes you have to foul. Two. The first one calls. [Applause] [Applause] And so she hits both. Now Burton quiet so far offensively searching for first points of the game. Pass to Vanloo. There’s the three and the rebound goes to the Mystics. And here’s Melbourne. [Applause] Here’s Kune. Doulson with it. [Applause] And the go-ahehead bucket. No good. So the first quarter ends. The tie game and a lowscoring one so far. And back in a moment as we’ll get underway with quarter two. [Applause] And so far it’s been a closely contested game as we get the second quarter going. And for the Mystics guys, what jumps out to you statwise? A lot of trips to the line for them through the first. Very aggressive offensively and they’re making full use of their homecourt advantage. I’ll tell you that much. Fans have really helped them [Applause] and Washington has possession. Pass to Ka Sykes with the ball for three and Britney Sykes gets the three. Remember, she’s on the court to do this score. Sykes can fill it up once she gets going. You know, we try to not play favorites, but the truth is we’re all fans here. So, guys, who is your favorite player to watch? This is easy. I got to go with Sabrina Yanescu, who’s also from my hometown of Walnick Creek. She plays so unselfish, but also has an amazing three-point shot, so she can score in bunches. And I’m a big Kelsey Plum fan. You know, I love players who can shoot and Kelsey certainly can do that, but she also has other parts of her game that are very good. And of course, I mean, lefties, they just make everything look better. Here’s Zandelini. Pass to Thornton. Vanloo. Let’s go with a three. And Zandelini is good for three. I mean that shot just becomes effortless for her when the defense is so relaxed like that. Now Inkler [Music] now Sykes the three ball. They get it back. Here’s Edwards and she gets the friendly spin and that one drops. Second quarter of basketball about one minute played so far. Pass to Vanloo. Now, here is Thornton. Well, Kayla Thornton loves these freebies and she’s able to contribute a lot for her team. First team and first trip to the free throw line for her in this one. Kayla Fton. Two shots. [Applause] [Applause] [Applause] And she knocks down the first one. [Applause] And that’s good as she hits both shots. Just over a minute has passed here in the second quarter. Pass to Angler. Melbourne. [Music] Sykes outside. Five to shoot. [Applause] A rebound by Vanloo. It’s been a little while since they’ve been in the lead and that’s why this is such an important possession for them. Lets it go from deep. Still looking for first make after that miss. 0 for two. The Mystics with the lead. Sykes outside. And we’re about 2 minutes into the second quarter here. [Music] Here’s Zandelini. Picked by Thornton. And that misses. That would have put them up. The Mystics on offense. Sykes outside. Pass to Con. And here’s Angler. [Applause] Sykes. Britney Scythe. Can’t get that one to fall. [Applause] Here in quarter two. We’ve played a little over two and a half minutes now. Here’s Vanloo. Now Burton [Applause] fast is on Zandelini from past the arc. It’s good from long range through points. The Mystics trailing now Melbourne. She’s been patient so far. Nothing yet on the scoreboard. And there it is. And here’s Burton. [Music] Fast is on Delisini. And here’s Burton. [Music] And a little under three and a half minutes of elapsed in the second quarter play. Vanloo. [Applause] Gorton with it. Zandelini. It’s Burton. Fires the three. Edwards grabs the miss. Sykes outside. Makes the three. Second chance shot and Edwards lays it in. Coach has always told me that if you battle for offensive rebounds, you’re guaranteed a high quality shot on the follow just like she got there. Now, here is Thoron. No good from 11 ft. Here’s Melbourne to the inside. Here’s Edwards. The shot that time not on target. Here’s Zandellesini. She’s guarded by Angler. [Applause] Pass to Burton and Lou. They set the pick. Fires for three. Drills the three-pointer. And Washington has possession. Now Angler. Edwards with it from the baseline. They get it back. Tries yet again. And so she earns a trip to the line. Officials saw the contact and she’ll shoot two foul. What a play in attack mode and get inside. And the defense gets their money’s worth on that foul. Stopping the layup and not giving up the and one. That’s her first trip to the line. Take a break. Take a break. Two shots. [Applause] The first free throw is good. Well, there’s lots of ways you can build a team. What do you think is the best route, Tim? Well, optimally you want to draft and develop, but that’s tough to do because it’s hard to find rookies in second-year players who have a major impact. So, you need to have patience if you want to draft and develop. Yeah. So, I I like the teams that make smart trades, whether it’s taking in picks, cashing in for a star. Asset management is the name of the game. Pass to Vanloo. Now Talbot launches it. Rebounded by Sykes. Now Kune. Now Melbourne. Kona. Dolston with it. Nails the baby hook. scoring inside. It’s about a lot of things. To me, touch is most important. And Doulson knows how to get the ball in the hoop. Pass to Talbot. And here’s Roert. [Applause] Here’s Vanloo. No scoring yet from her, but that’s likely to change. Launches a three and it’s Doulson with the rebound and Washington has possession. It’s a three-point game. Here’s Kune. [Music] Britney Sykes outside. The shot misses. Yeah, I’ll tell you, her three-point shot has looked pretty bad here in the second half. She’s trying to shoot her way out of this slump, but I think she’s got to give it a rest and try something else. Pass to Hayes. Vanloo. [Applause] Outside Hayes. Here’s Vanloo. Lets the three fly and that one’s good. Hayes and that’ll tie this game up. With often praised intangibles, Hayes is able to consistently put the ball through the bucket. Fast to Sykes. Nolson sets a screen. Sykes no good. I’m not sure why she keeps trying her luck from deep. It’s just not working for her. For three, Tiffany Hayes. The Mystics pull it in now. Ket [Music] pass to Doulson. And here’s Melbour back to Doulson. Shoots it. The long distance three is buried. Showing off her ability to be a stretch. Stephanie Doulson is more than capable of hitting from way downtown. Here’s Talbot. She hasn’t yet put up any points in this one. Now here is Hayes. Pass to Vanloo. And here’s Robert. She’s covered by Edwards. Here’s Hayes. Three-pointer again. Tiffany Hayes missing. And here’s Melbourne. Now Sykes. [Music] Edwards with the screen. Sykes. No good. Not a whole lot going down for her. She can’t catch a break. [Music] Here’s Talbot. They set a pick pass to Roert. And here’s Hayes. This one for three. Here’s Deinlay. And the rebound paying off as they pick up two on the second chance bucket right there. The Mystics with the lead. Sykes outside. Melbourne. Pass to Dolson. The tray and the three ball is good. When a player has confidence like Doulson, you see the pass coming and expect her to take the shot immediately. Here’s Talbot. Here’s Vanloo. She’s guarded by Sykes. Here’s Talbot. Hayes with it. Three-pointer. Drills it from outside. The rapid fire threes coming from everywhere. I wasn’t sure they should try to get the three right back like that, but hey, it worked out for them. Now, here is Sykes. She’s got 13. Pass to Doulson. Foul called that time on the way up. And that’ll give her two chances at the free throw. And she’ll take her third and fourth free throw shots of the night. Stephanie shot two. And the first one drops. [Music] [Applause] So she makes one of two as the second one misses. [Music] Horton with it. Outside Hayes Martin. Thornton outside. Four on the shot clock. Shoots the three. Rebounded by the Mystics. Sykes outside. Pass to Sutton. Sykes. Screen by Sykes. Here’s Sutton. She tries for three. The rebound by Thornton. Now Martin [Music] now Hayes puts up a three and it’s Austin with the rebound. Even without that three ball dropping for her, the defense should have done way more on that last play. Yeah, I mean the got to be better as a coach. Can’t stand seeing her having that much space to get her shot off. Now here is Sykes. She’s got 13 and it’s going to be a 3second call. [Applause] Here’s Hayes. She’s got 14. Pass to Martin. Thornton. [Applause] 3se second difference between the shot clock and the game clock. Fades. The Mystics pull it in. Sykes left side. And a pretty tightly contested game here as we end the first half. Mystics ahead up two. And time now for the halftime break with the third quarter soon to follow on 2K Sports. And it’s time for your fantas. Please direct your attention to center court. Give me a feel. And measuring up the shots. [Applause] One more time. A round of applause. Heat. Hey, Heat. [Music] We have a close ball game on our hands as we get set for the second half to get underway. Tiffany Hayes really making a difference here. She put on a show from three-point range in the first half. We’ll see if the halftime break had any cooling effect on her. Well, we’ll soon find out because I guarantee they’re going to keep feeding her the rock beyond the ark until she does cool off. [Applause] And here’s Sutton. Pass to Angler. Austin with it. It’s Britney Sykes on the wing looking to get it going. The shot comes out. She keeps trying to force it up when she’s guarded and she’s just getting brick after brick. Here’s my suggestion. Move the ball around. Back to Hayes inside Billings. That evens the score. She always knows where her teammates are going to be and she’ll have that ball there waiting for them. Now here is Sykes down low. Shakir Austin high post. Four on the clock. Thanks for the screen. Pass to Sutton. Shoots a three. Another rebound by Thornton. Here’s Martin. Now Hayes, now Billings. She’s guarded by Angler. And here’s Martin [Applause] for the lead. Hands it from downtown. I admire Hayes’s vision. I mean, she’s pretty much aware and alert of everything happening on the court. There’s Sutton. And they’re looking for a way to score here. Yeah, they’ve had a tough time taking the lid off. They got to score. Doulson with it. Pass to Sutton. To the paint. Here’s Sykes. The rebound by Thornton. [Applause] Outside Hayes to the middle. Here’s Minlay. Takes the 12-footer and hits. What great touch. It hit the fadeaway with the player right in her face. Washington trailing. [Music] Sykes outside to the inside. Pass to Doulson. Yes. And it’s Shakira Austin picking up the assist. And another night in night out. A threat to just go off. Doulson’s diverse offensive arsenal make her a great score. Now here is Hayes. 14 points for her. Now Thornton. [Applause] Now Martin [Applause] to the paint. And it’s Doulson with the rebound. And here’s Sutton. Pass to Doulson. Sykes. She’s guarded by Hayes. Sykes up top. Austin with it. It’s good. Everything you could possibly want in a guard. Britney Sykes is a tremendous distributor. [Applause] Just under three and 1/2 minutes played here in the third quarter. Here’s the pick inside. Missed foul. Stephanie, first personal foul, post team foul. And this is our first free throw of the game. Timmy at Benland. Two shots. [Applause] Shooting two. [Applause] And the first one falls for her. [Applause] Both shots good from the stripe. We’ve gone about three and a half minutes into the third now. Here’s Sutton. She’s guarded by Hayes. Now here’s Angler. Still getting warmed up offensively. No buckets yet in the game for her. And she was camped there in the lane. And she gets the 3second call. Those those types of mistakes are magnified when it’s a tight game like this. [Applause] Here’s Hayes. 14 points for her. Pass to Thornton. Martin. There’s a screen. [Music] Outside. Hayes for three. Rebounded by the Mystics. Now Sutton [Music] Hanksler for the tie and it’s Billings with the rebound. Hard to figure out why she didn’t bury that one. Not a defender near her. Right side Hayes and that one good. Think about Tiffany Hayes. She is putting on a show. Sykes with the ball. 13 points in this game. [Music] Here’s the three. Gets the three-pointer to fall. I’m not sure that was the play they had set up, but it was too good a look to pass up. And here’s Martin. Six points for her. Pass to Thornton. Now here is Hayes. [Music] She’s off on that one. Great D that time from Shakira Austin. And a 2020 third round pick. Sh. Sutton was actually out of the league until 2023. Well, she only played 12 games in the Wubble. She wasn’t in the W in 2021 or 2022, but Sudden had a monster year 2023 in Phoenix. She was actually top 10 in the entire league in assists. Now, here is Hayes. She’s got 16. The shot was there for her. She had to take it. And I don’t care if she didn’t convert. She should take it again next time. And it’s Austin missing. Here’s Martin [Applause] outside. Hayes shoots it up again. Tiffany Hayes missing. Here’s the Mystics with the ball. Pass to Sutton. Here’s Austin for the lead. Angler with it. There’s the triple. The rebound by Thornton outside. Hayes. [Music] And here’s Martin. Guarded by Austin [Applause] on the wing. Kayla Thornton. Five on the clock. And the rebound goes to the Mystics. Now here is Sykes. Pass to Sutton. Back to Sykes. Angler. Here’s Doulson. Here’s Sykes. And she lays it straight in. Good possession resulting in the easy one down low. Now Hayes. 16 points for her. Sykes with a strong contribution so far in this game. Good timeout. She’s absolutely dialed in from outside. They need to to close out on her much quicker and they need to figure out a way to stop. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. [Music] [Applause] So, both teams making some changes here. woman. Go you squad. [Applause] [Music] And here’s Burton looking for first basket still in this one. Another miss. And they’ve really hit a rough patch. Sykes outside from downtown. That shot off. Here’s Billings. [Music] [Applause] Pass to Vanloo. And there’s the 3second violation. Washington. [Applause] The Mystics with the lead. Here’s Ka Sykes. Austin with it. Fires at the elbow. Yeah. Count it. Opportunistic shot by Austin. Finds the mid-range look and doesn’t waste it. Pass to Vanloo. [Applause] Here’s the three and the rebound goes to the Mystics. Now Ket and here’s Melbourne. Now Sykes from deep buries it from three-point range. Puts her awareness on full display. Sykes knew exactly how much time she had for the catch to shoot. Sykes with a strong contribution so far in this game. She just keeps drilling the big shots. They got to design a way to get the ball out of her hands. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. [Applause] The Lakers [Applause] It’s Burton. He hasn’t yet put up any points in this one. [Music] gets it to go from downtown. I tell you, she loves getting looks like that from three-point range. Just nobody near her. [Music] Now, Melbourne. [Music] Here’s Ka Sykes outside. And the Mystics hit again from deep. Well, I think she she owes the three-pointer dinner. It’s been her best friend today. No question. Well, it has been today anyway. I mean, look, most of her points have been courtesy of the deep ball. Here’s Zandellesini. She’s got six. Here’s Vanloo. Tried to answer back, but that three is off the mark. Sykes outside. Pulls up from the top of the key and it’s Billings with the rebound. Well, that’s just not a sight you see very often because she has a great feel for that jump shot, especially when she’s open. Soft touch off the glass. Ran her defender straight into that screen to open up the lane to the hoop. So, it’s Washington now leading by five. Now, Pune down low. Sykes takes the assist and lays it in. Ficked out the pass nicely. Whenever your big is passing the rock like Austin, it’s a great sign for your squad’s ball movement. Passes oni. [Applause] Here’s Vanloo from outside the arc. Drops in the tray. They can’t afford to give her that kind of look. Well, it came off a good screen, but still as a defender, you have to fight over the top of it. And you need some help as well. Here’s Kune. Now here is Sykes. [Music] [Applause] And it’s Billings with the rebound. Good on the shot. Billings. Here’s Melbourne. Clock management. This is where they can get a two for one. I love the two for one. Every opportunity counts. [Music] Pass to Sykes. Shot on the wing. John Delosini pulls it in. 3se second difference between the shot clock and the game clock. Here’s Vanloo. Here’s Rupert guarded by Austin. And here’s Burton. Now Zandelini. Just five to shoot. Now Roofer Vanloo, she’s guarded by Sykes. Sand Delosini can’t get it to go and we have just finished the third quarter and a tight game. We’ve got the Mystics on top. They’re up by two and time to step away quickly, but we’ll be back in no time with the start of the fourth quarter. [Applause] We welcome you back to what has been a good one here as we get into the fourth quarter. Now Burton fast as Delisini. Now Burton. Here’s Vanloo. And here’s Xanderini. Down to five on the shot clock. Bangs home the trifecta. Three. The Mystics trailing. Sykes outside. There’s a screen. This one for three. Salvad pulls it in. Here’s Vanloo. She’s guarded by Sykes. Fast is on Delosini. Can’t cash in from the high post. On the wing, Emily Angler. [Music] A few possessions into the fourth quarter, just over one minute played. Sykes no good. It’s Burton. She is covered by Edwards. Here’s Vanloo. Burton pass to Roert to the inside and Sandalini gets it to go. The plan worked perfectly that possession. Get it inside. Get the high percentage shot. And they’re looking for some kind of spark here. Yeah, full stretch offensively. They need a bucket. Sykes with the ball. Takes the three. Kept alive. Let’s go with a three. That one no good. We’re about 2 minutes into the fourth quarter in this one. [Applause] Pass to Talbot. Gandelisini. [Applause] Here’s Burton. No good on the three. Oh, it’s Washington now. Nothing doing offensively yet for them in the fourth. Here’s Melbourne. Sykes left side to tie it up. Valve pulls it in. This has not been a quarter to remember for her. I mean, what’s going on right now? What is this? She’s not making any sort of impact for them at that end of the court. Pass to Burton from the arc. The rebound by Melbourne. Nangler with it. Con. outside. Edwards Back to Sykes. Tries to snap the cold streak. That shot off. And she’s missing shot after shot after shot from long range. And with time running out, I think it’s time for her to try something else. Pass to Talbot. That one is off. Aaliyah Edwards strong defensive effort. A little over three and a half minutes in the books now for this fourth quarter. And here’s Melbourne. Gonet Edwards left side. Valet pulls it in. Here’s Vanloo. [Applause] Throws it up high. Burton. Rupert. No good. Said he should be thanking her for that miss. Now here’s Angler. Sykes outside to tie it up. Unable to get that one to go. Pass to Vanloo. It’s Burton. [Applause] Out to the wing. Vanloo. She’s guarded by Sykes. Talbet. No good. Sykes outside pass to Melbourne. Shot to stop the drought and it’s good. Assisting on the play was Britney Sykes and you’re seeing the selflessness from Britney Sykes right there. She is all about doing whatever is best for the team. Now Talbot and here’s Burton. The shot no good. A chance here to retake the lead. Showing that intensity in these last few minutes. It’s Britney Sykes on the wing. Pass to Angler. Outside Edwards to take the lead. A rebound by Vanloo. It’s Burton. And here’s Xandelini. Pass to Burton. The three. Good on the triple. [Applause] Now Melbourne Washington calls timeout and I think the coach is watching a lot of shots they normally make out and it has to be frustrating. Maybe see if they could create some scoring opportunities at the free throw line. That may be the answer for them. But you know ultimately I expect them to shoot their way out of this slot. The breaker is [Music] I don’t know. [Music] [Applause] [Applause] Both teams deciding to change it up. [Applause] Here’s Angler. Pass to Sutton. [Music] Screen by Austin. Just four to shoot. And another miss by Washington outside Hayes. Now Billings. She’s guarded by Sykes. Here’s Martin. Pass to Menlay. Shoots over Austin. Benlay can’t hit but Mystics’s trailing. Here’s Sutton. Great D that time from Tiffany Hayes beyond the arc. Rebounded by Sykes. They had some lots of coverage that turned into no coverage. And when she’s open like that, you don’t see her miss that sort of look very often. Now here’s Angler. Pass to Sutton. [Applause] Screen by Austin from deep. Sutton with the bucket and it’s a tie ball game. Perfect screen there. Center up to a terrific look. Yeah, but that’s a bad job by the defender to not fight through that screen to contest. You want to see more effort there. Now here is Hayes. Pass to Menlay. Shoots over Austin. Fenlay can’t hit. She operates well in traffic, but still a tough play to finish off. Now Sutton Sykes inside to take the lead. So they take the lead. That pass led her so perfectly. She didn’t even have to break stride. Hayes with it. Pass to Martin. And here is Beg Benley. Horton outside her three. Tiffany Hayes rebounded by the Mystics. She can’t get anything to drop. And the way she’s going, it’s probably not something she should try to to shoot her way out of. And I’m sure her teammates would agree with that. You know, the last thing they want to see her doing is shooting it more. Now here is Hayes. Thon up top. Billings guarded by Doulson. Clock at six. [Applause] Pass to Martin. Three-pointer. That drops and it comes off an assist from Tiffany Hayes. Yeah. Well, with eagle-eyed vision, Hayes has earned a reputation as a capable distributor. Now here’s Angler. Austin, Britney Sykes outside Doulson in the post. And it’s Billings with the rebound. [Applause] And here’s Martin. Pass to Billings. [Applause] outside Hayes. [Applause] Shot clock at six. And here’s Martin. He’s guarded by Hanks. Opening Hayes for Gra. This has been a rough second half for her shooting the ball. She should probably adopt a pass first mentality at this point. Sykes. Good work defensively by Kayla Thornton. Al Martin. Pass to Pag Menlay. to the paint. Miss the ball needs to miss her basket for a fifth happy pairing of the game. She’s five for nine. They carried out the plan perfectly that time around. Now here is Sykes looking to end her cold spell. And she gets a jumper to drop. In big moments, Sykes does not lack aggressiveness. If she can make a difference, she will. to the middle. There’s that lay rebounded by Sykes. Oh, it’s Washington now to the inside. Pass to Sutton from deep and it’s Billings with the rebound. 7second difference between the shot clock and the game clock and they’ll be trying to take as much time off the clock as they can. Exactly. Expect to see some long possessions out of them from this point forward. Milk the clock. Here’s Bentley. Horton outside knocks down the three. That just adds to what’s probably already an insurmountable lead. I think they’ll be leaving here with a win. Yeah. Hard to imagine any other outcome than the one that’s staring us right in the face. Time called here. The Mystics decide to talk it over. Time is the big factor here. Need to get the points fast and then foul. Yeah, Tim. And it has to be a quick foul. Every second is critical at this stage. Yeah, they cannot waste any time if they want to come back. Here’s Doulson. off with the layup. And so the road team gets the W in this one. This was a hardfought, well-earned victory for them. They really had to work for this one. Yeah, weaker teams, they might have buckled at the end, you know, really with that crowd amped up. Everyone in the building really against them, but they stood tall and pulled it out. That’ll do it for our broadcast, everyone. Ryan Bennifi and Tim Schwarz. I’m Blake Suniga and we’re thrilled to have you with us. And with a moment here before we get to the tip off, here are tonight’s starting lineups. And the trademark of both of these teams, strong defense. Got to love it. What will that mean for tonight’s contest? Well, the coaches will have a big role in a strength-on strength matchup. Game planning takes on added importance. And one more thing about these teams, Brian, I mean, there is no shortage of effort. Now, here is Hayes. Jacks up a three and she’s good on the three ball. Getting great lift on her shot. Hayes can really drain him from three. Now Sutton Sykes outside. The rebound by Thornton. And here’s Martin. Thoron outside. Back to Hayes. Six on the shot clock. Here’s Billings. Rebounded by the Mystics. Pass to Sutton. Back to Sykes. And here is Goolson. [Music] Now Sutton expanding her range. It’s not going to go for her. Here’s Martin. The three is up. Comes out of the gate empty. [Music] Now Sutton pass to Sykes. Doulson. Screen by Sykes. Here’s Sutton from beyond the arc. That one falls coming off Stephanie Dolson. Here’s Hayes. Just about two minutes into the game. First quarter of basketball. the three and it’s Doulson with the rebound. Here’s Sutton. She’s guarded by Hayes. Pass to Angler. Austin Sykes outside. That one’s in. Her first basket of the game. She is one for two. Well, this is how you finish inside. Britney Sykes going up with confidence. And here is Beg Benley guarded by Austin. And here is F Benlay. Pass to Billings. the three and it’s Austin with the rebound. The Mystics leading. When you look at this Washington team, they hang their hat on defense. That’s the priority. Yeah. Last year they were fourth in defensive rating. They have a great coaching staff that helps with scouting reports, defensive schemes that we’ll see. And the Mystics do a great job, you know, executing those scouting reports. Pass to Hayes. Rebounded by Sites. There was just enough defensive pressure to get her off balance from outside the ark. No good there. You know, she shouldn’t miss those, but you know, it happened to the best of them. Now, here is Hayes to the middle. Thon outside pass to Martin. Gorton with it to stop the drought. Doesn’t get it to drop for her. Here’s Sutton. Now Angler Britney Sykes outside. It’s hauled in by Tiffany Hayes. Pass to Martin. Here’s Thornton. Hayes and good coming off the assist by Kayla Thornton. Takes pride in each performance. Hayes is the centerpiece of everything her team does. Now here is Doulson. Angler with it. She hasn’t scored yet. That I’m sure will change. Here’s Sykes. No good on that shot. Good work defensively by Kayla Thornton. Here’s Billings. Misses and close. The Mystics trailing. Now Sutton. Sykes outside. Takes the three. Sinks the triple. Well, beyond the arc, Sykes can be pretty choosy cuz she finds an angle she likes and drills it. And here is Hayes. Six points for her. Pass to Martin. Bag. Benlay guarded by Austin. Fades and shoots. Hits some rim on the way in. And the bucket’s good. Next time she has that much space, she should just go straight up with it. and leave the fadeaway at home. Sykes outside, fires from deep again. Britney Sykes missing. Now here is Hayes. Pass to Martin. Tiffany Hayes on the wing. The three-pointer off the mark. You don’t want to give up that kind of look often. They’re very lucky they didn’t get burnt. And here’s Sutton. [Applause] Tries a three. Martin pulls it in. Tiffany Hayes on the wing. Pass to Martin. Back Ben [Music] to the wing on the left. [Music] Gorton with it. Here’s Benlay. Guarded by Austin Martin. Good on the three-point shot. You know what? I don’t care how far from the bucket she is. You got to have a defender on her. She’s just too good from long range. Here’s Sutton. Sykes outside. Here’s Austin off target with the jump hook. Here’s Hayes. [Applause] Now Martin [Applause] spins from the arc and the rebound goes to the Mystics. And they could use a big shot here to get this offense going. Yeah, too many empty possessions. I mean, it’s simple. We need points and it’s going to be out of bounds. The Mystics will retain possession. Substitution. [Applause] Now here is Doulson. Tight defense on her. Doulson with the screen and another miss by Washington. Beyond the arc, Martin No Bueno. Sykes with the ball. She has five. Pass to Melbourne to the paint. Dolson outside for Sykes. Shot clock at five to end the drought. No good that time. You know, she keeps jacking up those threes without much to show for it. She’s going to lose the green light very early in this game if this keeps up. Now Peg Benley one near her and that one comes up a bit short. And here’s Sutton. Pass to Melbourne. Austin Britney Sykes for three sinks the three-pointer. It’s a tie ball game. I saw a little confusion amongst the D as to who was supposed to be guarding her. Outside Hayes. Now Benlay guarded by Doulson. A nice shot by Fugenlay. Now here is Sykes. She’s got eight. [Music] Over to the wing from deep. Melbourne. Shot is off. Now here is Hayes. Guarded closely. Pass to Billings. It’s Burton. And there’s the pick. And it’s Austin with the rebound. And here’s Washington trailing by two. Here’s Sutton. [Applause] It’s Britney Sykes on the wing. Screen by Austin. Six to shoot. Two open that time. Made it look easy. She can beat you in a lot of different ways. Sykes is dangerous in the pick and roll game because she can handle the ball too outside. Hayes laid in with a nice touch off the glass. Took advantage of some shoddy D there. They got to at least get a finger on her. [Music] Sykes right side down low. Dilson in the post. Burton with the rebound. Pass to Martin [Music] inside. Great D that time from Shakira Austin. Terrific job defending the basket that time. It’s not an easy task stopping her when she’s headed to the rim. And here’s Melbourne. [Music] Doulson and a foul called on the shot. Got her on the way up that time. So she’ll shoot two. The mobility of Doulson coupled with her size. It’s very difficult once she gets inside to stop. Sometimes you have to foul. Shooting two. The first one falls. [Applause] And so she hits both. Now Burton quiet so far offensively searching for her first points of the game. Pass to Vanloo. There’s the three and the rebound goes to the misses. And here’s Melbourne. [Applause] Here’s Kune. Doulson with it. And the go-ahehead bucket. No good. So the first quarter ends. The tie game and a lowscoring one so far. And back in a moment as we’ll get underway with quarter two. [Applause] And so far it’s been a closely contested game as we get the second quarter going. And for the Mystics guys, what jumps out to you statwise? A lot of trips to the line for them through the first. Very aggressive offensively and they’re making full use of their homecourt advantage. I’ll tell you that much. Fans have really helped them [Applause] and Washington has possession. Pass to Ka Sykes with the ball. for three and Britney Sykes gets the three. Remember, she’s on the court to do this. Score. Sykes can fill it up once she gets going. You know, we try to not play favorites, but the truth is we’re all fans here. So guys, who is your favorite player to watch? This is easy. I got to go with Sabrina Yanescu, who’s also from my hometown of Walnick Creek. She plays so unselfish, but also has an amazing three-point shot, so she can score in bunches. Yeah, I’m a big Kelsey Plum fan. You know, I love players who can shoot, and Kelsey certainly can do that, but she also has other parts of her game that are very good. And of course, I mean, lefties, they just make everything look better. Here’s Zandelini. Pass to Thornton. Vanloo. Let’s go with a three. And Zandelini is good for three. I mean that shot just becomes effortless for her when the defense is so relaxed like that. Now Inkler [Music] now Sykes the three ball. They get it back. Here’s Edwards and she gets the friendly spin and that one drops. Second quarter of basketball about one minute played so far. Pass to Vanloo. Now, here is Thornton. Well, Kayla Thornton loves these freebies and she’s able to contribute a lot for her team. First team foul and first trip to the free throw line for her in this one. Caleb for two shots. [Applause] [Applause] [Applause] And she knocks down the first one. [Applause] and that’s good as she hits both shots. Just over a minute has passed here in the second quarter. Pass to Angler. Melbourne. Sykes outside. Five to shoot. [Applause] A rebound by Vanloo. It’s been a little while since they’ve been in the lead and that’s why this is such an important possession for them. Lets it go from deep. Still looking for first make after that miss. 0 for two. The Mystics with the lead. Sykes outside. And we’re about 2 minutes into the second quarter here. Here’s Zandelini. Picked by Thornton. And that misses. That would have put them up. The Mystics on offense. Sykes outside. Pass to Ka. And here’s Angler. [Applause] Sykes. Britney Scythe. Can’t get that one to fall. [Applause] They are in quarter two. We’ve played a little over two and a half minutes now. Here’s Vanloo. Now Burton [Applause] fast is Zand Delisini from past the arc. It’s good from long range. The Mystics trailing now. Melbourne. She’s been patient so far. Nothing yet on the scoreboard. And there it is. And here’s Burton. Fast to Zand Delazini. And here’s Burton. [Music] And a little under three and a half minutes of laps in the second quarter play. Vanloo. Gorton with it. Zandelisini. It’s Burton. Fires the three. Edwards grabs the miss. Sykes outside. Makes the three. Second chance shot and Edwards lays it in. Coach has always told me that if you battle for offensive rebounds, you’re guaranteed a high quality shot on the follow just like she got there. Now, here is Thornton. No good from 11 ft. Here’s Melbourne to the inside. Here’s Edwards. The shot that time not on target. Here’s Zandellesini. She’s guarded by Angler. [Applause] Pass to Burton. Vanloo. [Applause] They set the pick. Fires for three. Drills the three-pointer. And Washington has possession. Now Angler. Edwards with it from the baseline. They get it back. Tries yet again. And so she earns a trip to the line. Officials saw the contact and she’ll shoot two. What a play in attack mode and get inside. And the defense gets their money’s worth on that foul. Stopping the layup and not giving up the and one. That’s her first trip to the line. Take a break. Take a break. Two shots. [Applause] The first free throw is good. Well, there’s lots of ways you can build a team. What do you think is the best route, Tim? Well, optimally you want to draft and develop, but that’s tough to do because it’s hard to find rookies in second-year players who have a major impact. So, you need to have patience if you want to draft and develop. Yeah. So, I I like the teams that make smart trades, whether it’s taking in picks, cashing in for a star. Asset management is the name of the game. Pass to Vanloo. Now Talbot launches it. Rebounded by Sykes. Now Kune. Now Melbourne. Kona. Nolson with it. Nails the baby hook. Scoring inside. It’s about a lot of things. To me, touch is most important. And Doulson knows how to get the ball in the hoop. Pass to Talbot. And here’s Robert. [Applause] Here’s Vanloo. No scoring yet for her, but that’s likely to change. Launches a three and it’s Doulson with the rebound. And Washington has possession. It’s a three-point game. Here’s Kune. Brandy Sykes outside. The shot misses. Yeah, I’ll tell you her three-point shot has looked pretty bad here in the second half. She’s trying to shoot her way out of this slump, but I think she’s got to give it a rest and try something else. Pass to Hayes. Vanloo. [Applause] Outside Hayes. Here’s Vanloo. Lets the three fly and that one’s good. Hayes and that’ll tie this game up. With often praised intangibles, Hayes is able to consistently put the ball through the bucket. Pass to Sykes. Dolson sets a screen. Sykes no good. I’m not sure why she keeps trying her luck from deep. It’s just not working for her. For three, Tiffany Hayes. The Mystics pull it in. Now Ket [Music] pass to Doulson. And here’s Melbour. Back to Doulson. Shoots it. The long distance three is buried. Showing off her ability to be a stretch five. Stephanie Doulson is more than capable of hitting from way down. Here’s Talbot. She hasn’t yet put up any points in this one. Now here is Hayes. Pass to Vanloo. And here’s Roert. She’s covered by Edwards. Here’s Hayes. three-pointer again. Tiffany Hayes missing. And here’s Melbourne. Now Sykes. [Music] Edwards with the screen. Sykes. No good. Not a whole lot going down for her. She can’t catch a break. Here’s [Music] Talbot. They set a pick. Pass to Roert. And here is Hayes. This one for three. Here’s by Ben. And the rebound paying off as they pick up two on the second chance bucket right there. The Mystics with the lead. Sykes outside Melbourne. Pass to Doulson. The tray and the three ball is good. When a player has confidence like Doulson, you see the pass coming and expect her to take the shot immediately. Here’s Talbett. Here’s Vanloo. She’s guarded by Sykes. Here’s Talbett. Hayes with it. Three-pointer. Drills it from outside. The rapid fire threes coming from everywhere. I wasn’t sure they should try to get the three right back like that, but hey, it worked out for them. Now here is Sykes. She’s got 13. Pass to Doulson. Foul called that time on the way up and that’ll give her two chances at the free throw and she’ll take her third and fourth free throw shots of the night. Stephanie Doulson two shots shooting two. And the first one drops. [Music] [Applause] So she makes one of two as the second one misses. [Music] Horton with it. Outside Hayes. Martin. Borton outside. Four on the shot clock. Shoots the three. Rebounded by the Mystics. Sykes outside. Pass to Sutton. Sykes. Screen by Sykes. Here’s Sutton. She tries for three. The rebound by Thornton. Now Martin. [Music] Now Hayes puts up a three and it’s Austin with the rebound. Even without that three ball dropping for her, the defense should have done way more on that last play. Yeah, I mean the def’s got to be better as a coach. You can’t stand seeing her having that much space to get her shot off. Now here is Sykes. She’s got 13 and it’s going to be a 3second call. 18. [Applause] Here’s Hayes. She’s got 14. Pass to Martin. Thornton. [Applause] 3 second difference between the shot clock and the game clock. Fades. The Mystics pull it in. Sykes left side. And a pretty tightly contested game here as we end the first half. Mystics ahead up two. And time now for the halftime break with the third quarter soon to follow on 2K Sports. And it’s time for your fan half court shot. Please direct your attention to center court. Give me a measuring up the shot. [Applause] One more time, a round of applause. [Music] Heat. Heat. We have a close ball game on our hands as we get set for the second half to get underway. way. Tiffany Hayes really making a difference here. She put on a show from three-point range in the first half. We’ll see if the halftime break had any cooling effect on her. Well, we’ll soon find out because I guarantee they’re going to keep feeding her the rock beyond the ark until she does cool off. [Applause] And here’s Sutton. Pass to Angler. Austin with it. It’s Britney Sykes on the wing looking to get it going. The shot comes out. She keeps trying to force it up when she’s guarded and she’s just getting brick after brick. Here’s my suggestion. Move the ball around. Back to Hayes inside Billings. That evens the score. She always knows where her teammates are going to be and she’ll have that ball there waiting for them. Now, here is Sykes. down low. Shir Austin high post. Four on the clock. Thanks for the screen. Out to Sutton. Shoots a three. Another rebound by Thornton. Here’s Martin. Now Hayes, now Billings. She’s guarded by Anxler. And here’s Martin [Applause] for the lead. Cans it from downtown. I admire Hayes’s vision. I mean, she’s pretty much aware and alert of everything happening on the court. Here’s Sutton. And they’re looking for a way to score here. Yeah, they’ve had a tough time taking the lid off. They got to score. Doulson with it. Pass to Sutton. To the paint. Here’s Sykes. The rebound by Thornton. [Applause] Outside. Hayes to the middle. Here’s Minlay. Takes the 12-footer and hits. What? Great touch. It hits the fadeaway with the player right in her face. Washington trailing. [Music] Sykes outside to the inside. Pass to Doulson. Yes. And it’s Shakira Austin picking up the assist. And another night in night out. A threat to just go off. Doulson’s diverse offensive arsenal make her a great score. Now here is Hayes. 14 points for her. Now Thornton. [Applause] Now Martin [Applause] to the paint. And it’s Doulson with the rebound. And here’s Sutton. Pass to Doulson. Sykes. She’s guarded by Hayes. Sykes up top. Austin with it. It’s good. Everything you could possibly want in a guard. Britney Sykes is a tremendous distributor. [Applause] Just under three and 1 half minutes played here in the third quarter. Here’s the pick inside. Miss Foul, Stephanie Gold, first personal foul, post foul. And this is our first free throw of the game. Tammy Benley. Two shots. [Applause] Shooting two. [Applause] And the first one falls forward. [Applause] both shots good from the stripe. We’ve gone about 3 and 1/2 minutes into the third now. Here’s Sutton. She’s guarded by Hayes. Now here’s Angler. Still getting warmed up offensively. No buckets yet in the game for her. And she was camped there in the lane. And she gets the 3se second call. Those those types of mistakes are magnified when it’s a tight game like this. Here’s Hayes. 14 points for her. Pass to Thornton. Martin. There’s a screen. [Music] Outside. Hayes for three. Rebounded by the Mystics. Now Sutton. [Music] Hanksler for the tie and it’s Billings with the rebound. Hard to figure out why she didn’t bury that one. Have a defender near her. Right side Hayes. And that one good. Think about Tiffany Hayes. She is putting on a show. Sykes with the ball. 13 points in this game. Here’s the three. Gets a three-pointer to fall. I’m not sure that was the play they had set up, but it was too good a look to pass up. And here’s Martin. Six points for her. Pass to Thornton. Now here is Hayes. [Music] She’s off on that one. Great D that time from Shakira Austin and a 2020 third round pick. Choke Sutton was actually out of the league until 2023. Well, she only played 12 games in the Wubble. She wasn’t in the W in 2021 or 2022. But Sutton had had a monster year 2023 in Phoenix. She was actually top 10 in the entire league in assists. Now, here is Hayes. She’s got 16. The shot was there for her. She had to take it. And I don’t care if she didn’t convert. She should take it again next time. And it’s Austin missing. Here’s Martin [Applause] outside. Hayes shoots it up again. Tiffany Hayes missing. Here’s the Mystics with the ball. Pass to Sutton. [Music] Here’s Austin for the lead. Angler with it. There’s the triple. The rebound by Thornton. Outside Hayes. [Music] And here’s Martin guarded by Austin [Applause] on the wing. Kayla Thornton. Five on the clock. And the rebound goes to the Mystics now. Here is Sykes. Pass to Sutton. Back to Sykes. Angler. Here’s Doulson. Here’s Sykes and she lays it straight in. Good possession resulting in the easy one down low. Now Hayes, 16 points for her. Sykes with a strong contribution so far in this game. Good timeout. She’s absolutely dialed in from outside. They need to to close out on her much quicker and they need to figure out a way to stop her point. God. [Music] Yeah. Heat up here. [Music] So both teams making some changes here. [Applause] squad. [Applause] [Music] And here’s Burton looking for a first basket still in this one. Another miss and they’ve really hit a rough patch. Sykes outside from downtown. That shot off. Here’s Billings. [Music] Pass to Vanloo. And there’s the 3second violation. [Applause] The Mystics with the lead. [Music] Here’s Kona Sykes. Austin with it. Fires at the elbow. Yeah, count it. Opportunistic shot by Austin. Finds the mid-range look and doesn’t waste it. Pass to Vanloo. [Applause] Here’s the three and the rebound goes to the Mystics. Now Ket and here’s Melbourne. Now Sykes from deep buries it from three-point range. Puts her awareness on full display. Sykes knew exactly how much time she actually got to shoot. Sykes with a strong contribution so far in this game. She just keeps drilling the big shots. They got to design a way to get the ball out of her hands. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. You got the power of the Laker. [Applause] It’s Burton. He hasn’t yet put up any points in this one. [Music] Pass to Roert. Zandelisini just five on the clock. Vanloo gets it to go from downtown. I tell you, she loves getting looks like that from three-point range. Just nobody near her. [Music] Now Melbourne. [Music] Here’s Ka. Brady Sykes outside and the Mystics hit again from deep. Well, I think she she owes the three-pointer dinner. It’s been her best friend today. No question. Well, it has been today anyway. I mean, look, most of her points have been courtesy of the deep ball. Here’s Zandelini. She’s got six. Here’s Vanloo. Tried to answer back, but that three is off the mark. Sykes outside. pulls up from the top of the key and it’s Billings with the rebound. Well, that’s just not a sight you see very often because she has a great feel for that jump shot, especially when she’s open. Soft touch off the glass, man. Her defender straight into that screen to open up the lane to the hoop. So, it’s Washington now leading by five now. Pune down low. Sykes takes the assist and lays it in. Picked out the pass nicely. Whenever your big is passing the rock like Austin, it’s a great sign for your squad’s ball movement. Pass to Zandelini. [Applause] Here’s Vanloo from outside the arc. Drops in the tray. They can’t afford to give her that kind of look. Well, it came off a good screen, but still as a defender, you have to fight over the top of it, and you need some help as well. Here’s Pune. Now, here is Sykes. [Music] [Applause] And it’s Billings with the rebound. Good on the shot. Here’s Melbourne. Clock management. This is where they can get a two for one. I love the two for one. Every opportunity counts. [Music] Pass to Sykes. Shot on the wing. Jean Dalini pulls it in. 3sec difference between the shot clock and the game clock. Here’s Vanloo. Here’s Rupert guarded by Austin. And here’s Burton. Now Zandelisini just five to shoot. Now Roert Vanloo. She’s guarded by Sykes. Zand Dellescini can’t get it to go. And we have just finished the third quarter and a tight game. We’ve got the Mystics on top. They’re up by two. And time to step away quickly, but we’ll be back in no time with the start of the fourth quarter. We welcome you back to what has been a good one here as we get into the fourth quarter. Now Burton fast as Delisini. Now Burton. Here’s Vanloo. And here is Xanderini down to five on the shot clock. Bangs home the trifecta. Three. The Mystics trailing. Sykes outside. There’s a screen. This one for three. Valid pulls it in. Here’s Vanloo. She’s guarded by Sykes. Bastelini. can’t cash in from the high post on the wing. Emily Angler. [Music] A few possessions into the fourth quarter. Just over one minute played. Sykes no good. It’s Burton. She is covered by Edwards. Here’s Vanloo. Burton pass to Roert to the inside and Sandalisini gets it to go. The plan worked perfectly that possession. Get it inside, get the high percentage shot and they’re looking for some kind of spark here. Yeah, cold stretch offensively. They need a bucket. Sites with the ball. Takes the three. Kept alive. Let’s go with a three. That one no good. We’re about 2 minutes into the fourth quarter in this one. [Applause] Pass to Talbot Delini. [Applause] Here’s Burton. No good on the three. Oh, it’s Washington now. Nothing doing offensively yet for them in the fourth. Here’s Melbourne. Sykes left side to tie it up. Valet pulls it in. This has not been a quarter to remember for her. I mean, what’s going on right now? What is this? She’s not making any sort of impact for them at that end of the court. Pass to Burton from the arc. The rebound by Melbourne. Angler with it. Con outside. Edwards back to Sykes. Tries to snap the cold streak. That shot off and she’s missing shot after shot after shot from long range. And with time running out, I think it’s time for her to try something else. Pass to Talbot. That one is off. Aaliyah Edwards. Strong defensive effort. A little over three and a half minutes in the books now for this fourth quarter. And here’s Melbourne. Edwards left side. Valvet pulls it in. [Applause] Here’s Vanloo. [Applause] Throws it up high. Burton. Rupert. No good. Said he should be thanking her for that miss. Now here’s Angler Sykes outside to tie it up. Unable to get that one to go pass to Vanloo. It’s Burton [Applause] out to the wing. Vanloo. She’s guarded by Sykes. Talbet. No good. Sykes outside. Pass to Melbourne. shot to stop the drought and it’s good. Assisting on the play was Britney Sykes. And you’re seeing the selflessness from Britney Sykes right there. She is all about doing whatever is best for the team. Now Talb and here’s Burton. The shot no good. A chance here to retake the lead. Showing that intensity in these last few minutes. It’s Britney Sykes on the wing. Pass to Angler. Outside Edwards to take the lead. A rebound by Vanloo. It’s Burton. And here’s Xandoini. Pass to Burton. The three good on the triple. [Applause] Al Melbourne. Washington calls timeout. I think the coach is watching a lot of shots they normally make out and it has to be frustrating. Maybe see if they could create some scoring opportunities at the free throw line. That may be the answer for them. But you know ultimately I expect them to shoot their way out of this slot. Heat. Heat. [Music] I don’t know. [Music] [Applause] [Applause] Both teams deciding to change it up. [Applause] Here’s Angler. Pass to Sutton. [Music] Screen by Austin. Just four to shoot. And another miss by Washington. Outside Hayes. Now Billings. She’s guarded by Sykes. Here’s Martin. Pass to Menlay. Shoots over Austin. Benlay. Can’t hit but Mystics’s trailing. Here’s Sutton. Great D that time from Tiffany Hayes. Beyond the arc, rebounded by Sykes. They had some lots of coverage that turned into no coverage. And when she’s open like that, you don’t see her miss that sort of look very often. Now here’s Angler. Pass to Sutton. [Applause] Screen by Austin from deep. Sutton with the bucket and it’s a tie ball game. Perfect screen there. Center up through a terrific look. Yeah, but that’s a bad job by the defender to not fight through that screen to contest. You want to see more effort there. Now here is Hayes. Pass to Benlay. Shoots over Austin. Benlay can’t hit. She operates well in traffic, but still a tough play to finish off. Now Sutton Sykes inside to take the lead. So they take the lead. That pass led her so perfectly. She didn’t even have to break stride. Hayes with it. Pass to Martin. And here’s Beg Benley. Horton outside her three. Tiffany Hayes rebounded by the Mystics. She can’t get anything to drop. And the way she’s going, it’s probably not something she should try to to shoot her way out of. And I’m sure her teammates would agree with that. You know, the last thing they want to see her doing is shooting it more. Now here is Hayes Horton up top. Billings guarded by Doulson. Clock at six. [Applause] Pass to Martin. Three-pointer. That drops and it comes off an assist from Tiffany Hayes. Yeah. Well, with eagle-eyed vision, Hayes has earned a reputation as a capable distributor. Now here’s Angler Austin. Britney Sykes outside Doulson in the post and it’s Billings with the rebound. And here’s Martin. Pass to Billings. [Applause] Outside Hayes. [Applause] Shot clock at six. And here’s Martin. He’s guarded by a sir. Anthony Hayes for three. This has been a rough second half for her shooting the ball. She should probably adopt a pass first mentality at this point. Sykes. Good work defensively by Kayla Thornton. Now Martin pass to Pag Menlay. to the paint. Missed her ball needs to miss her basket for a fifth happy pairing of the game. She’s five for nine. They carried out the plan perfectly that time around. Now here is Sykes looking to end her cold spell and she gets a jumper to drop. In big moments, Sykes does not lack aggressiveness. If she can make a difference, she will. to the middle. There’s Binlay. Rebounded by Sykes. So, it’s Washington now to the inside. Pass to Sutton trying her from deep and it’s Billings with the rebound. 7second difference between the shot clock and the game clock and they’ll be trying to take as much time off the clock as they can. Exactly. Expect to see some long possessions out of them from this point forward. Milk the clock. Here’s Bentley. Morton outside, knocks down the three. That just adds to what’s probably already an insurmountable lead. I think they’ll be leaving here with a win. Yeah. Hard to imagine any other outcome than the one that’s staring us right in the face. Time called here. The Mystics decide to talk it over. Time is the big factor here. You need to get the points fast and then foul. Yeah, Tim. And it has to be a quick foul. Every second is critical at this stage. Yeah, they cannot waste any time if they want to come back. Here’s Doulson. off with the layup. [Applause] And so the road team gets the W in this one. This was a hardfought, well-earned victory for them. They really had to work for this one. Yeah, weaker teams, they might have buckled at the end. You know, really with that crowd amped up, everyone in the building against them, but they stood tall and pulled it out. That’ll do it for our broadcast, everyone. I am banana and Tim Schwarz. I’m Blake Sunniga and we’re thrilled to have you with us. And with a moment here before we get to the tip off, here are tonight’s starting lineups. [Applause] And the trademark of both of these teams, strong defense. Got to love it. What will that mean for tonight’s contest? Well, the coaches will have a big role in a strength-on strength matchup. Game planning takes on added importance. And one more thing about these teams, Brian, I mean, there is no shortage of effort. Now here is Hayes. Jacks up a three and she’s good on the three ball. Getting great lift on her shot. Hayes can really drain him from three. Now Sutton Sykes outside. [Music] The rebound by Thornton. And here’s Martin. Thton outside back to Hayes. Six on the shot clock. Here’s Billings. Rebounded by the Mystics. [Music] Pass to Sutton. Back to Sykes. And here’s Doulson. [Music] Now Sutton expanding her range. It’s not going to go for her. Here’s Martin. The three is up. Comes out of the gate empty. [Music] Now Sutton pass to Sykes. Doulson screened by Sykes. Here’s Sutton from beyond the arc. That one falls coming off Stephanie Doulson’s feet. Here’s Hayes. Just about two minutes into the game. First quarter of basketball. the three and it’s Doulson with the rebound. Here’s Sutton. She’s guarded by Hayes. Pass to Angler. Austin Sykes outside. That one’s in. her first basket of the game. She is one for two. Well, this is how you finish inside. Britney Sykes going up with confidence. And here is Feb Ben guarded by Austin. And here is Febenlay. Pass to Billings. the three and it’s Austin with the rebound. The Mystics leading. When you look at this Washington team, they hang their hat on defense. That’s the priority. Yeah, last year they were fourth in defensive rating. They have a great coaching staff that helps with scouting reports, defensive schemes that we’ll see. And the Mystics do a great job, you know, executing those scouting reports. Pass to Hayes. Rebounded by Sykes. There was just enough defensive pressure to get her off balance from outside the arc. No good there. You know, she shouldn’t miss those, but you know, it happened to the best of them. Now, here is Hayes to the middle. Thon outside. Pass to Martin. Gorton with it to stop the drought. Doesn’t get it to drop for her. Here’s Sutton. Now Angler Britney Sykes outside. It’s hauled in by Tiffany Hayes. Pass to Martin. Here’s Thornton. [Music] Hayes and good coming off the assist by Kayla Thornton. Takes pride in each performance. Hayes is the centerpiece of everything her team does. Now here is Doulson. Anxler with it. She hasn’t scored yet. That I’m sure will change. Here’s Sykes. No good on that shot. Good work defensively by Kayla Thornton. Here’s Billings. Misses and close. The Mystics trailing. Now Sutton Sykes outside, picks the three, sinks the triple. Well, beyond the RX, Sykes can be pretty choosy, but she finds an angle she likes and drills it. And here’s Hayes. Six points for her. Pass to Martin. Bag Ben guarded by Austin. Fades and shoots. Hits some rim on the way in. And the bucket’s good. Next time she has that much space, she should just go straight up with it. and leave the fade away at home. Sykes outside, fires from deep again. Britney Sykes missing. Now here is Hayes. Pass to Martin. Tiffany Hayes on the wing. The three-pointer off the mark. You don’t want to give up that kind of look often. They’re very lucky they didn’t get burnt. And here’s Sutton. [Applause] Tries a three. Martin pulls it in. Tiffany Hayes on the wing. Pass to Martin. Back Ben. [Music] to the wing on the left. [Music] Gorton with it. Here’s Benlay. Guarded by Austin Martin. Good on the three-point shot. You know what? I don’t care how far from the bucket she is. You’ve got to have a defender on her. She’s just too good for long range. Here’s Sutton. Sykes outside. Here’s Austin off target with the jump hook. [Applause] Here’s Hayes. [Applause] Now Martin [Applause] spins from the arc and the rebound goes to the Mystics. And they could use a big shot here to get this offense going. Yeah, too many empty possessions. I mean, it’s simple. Oh, they need points. And it’s going to be out of bounds. The Mystics will retain possession. Substitution. [Applause] Now, here is Doulson. Tight defense on her. Doulson with the screen. And another miss by Washington. Beyond the arc, Martin. No bueno. Sykes with the ball. She has five. Pass to Melbourne to the paint. Dolson outside for Sykes. Shot clock at five to end the drought. No good that time. You know, she keeps jacking up those threes without much to show for it. She’s going to lose the green light very early in this game if this keeps up. Now Peg Benway, no one near her. And that one comes up a bit short. And here’s Sutton. Pass to Melbourne. Austin Britney Sykes for three. Sinks the three-pointer. It’s a tie ball game. I saw a little confusion amongst the D as to who was supposed to be guarding her. Outside Hayes. Now Benlay. Guarded by Doulson. A nice shot by Fug Benley. Now here is Sykes. She’s got eight. Over to the wing from deep. Melbourne. Shot is off. Now here is Hayes. Guarded closely. Pass to Billings. It’s Burton and there’s the pick and it’s Austin with the rebound. And here’s Washington trailing by two. Here’s Sutton. [Applause] It’s Britney Sykes on the wing. Screen by Austin. Six to shoot. Two open that time. made it look easy. She can beat you in a lot of different ways. Sykes is dangerous in the pick and roll game because she can handle the ball too outside. Hayes laid in with a nice touch off the glass. Took advantage of some shotty D there. They got to at least get a finger on her. [Music] Sykes right side down low. Doulson in the post. Burton with the rebound. Pass to Martin inside. Great D that time from Shakira Austin. Terrific job defending the basket that time. It’s not an easy task stopping her when she’s headed to the rim. And here’s Melbourne. [Music] Doulson. And a foul called on the shot. Got her on the way up that time. So she’ll shoot two. The mobility of Doulson coupled with her size. It’s very difficult once she gets inside to stop. Sometimes you have to foul. Shooting two. The first one falls. [Applause] And so she hits both. Now Burton quiet so far offensively searching for her first points of the game. Pass to Vanloo. There’s the three and the rebound goes to the Mystics. And here’s Melbourne. [Applause] Here’s Kune. Doulson with it [Applause] and the go-ahead bucket. No good. So the first quarter ends, the tie game and a lowscoring one so far. And back in a moment as we’ll get underway with quarter two. [Applause] And so far it’s been a closely contested game as we get the second quarter going. And for the Mystics guys, what jumps out to you statwise? A lot of trips to the line for them through the first. Very aggressive offensively and they’re making full use of their homecourt advantage. I’ll tell you that much. Fans have really helped them. [Applause] And Washington has possession. Pass to Ka. Sykes with the ball for three and Britney Sykes gets the three. Remember, she’s on the court to do this. Score. Sykes can fill it up once she gets going. You know, we try to not play favorites, but the truth is we’re all fans here. So, guys, who is your favorite player to watch? This is easy. I got to go with Sabrina Yanescu, who’s also from my hometown of Walnick Creek. She plays so unselfish, but also has an amazing three-point shot, so she can score in bunches. Yeah, I’m a big Kelsey Plum fan. You know, I love players who can shoot, and Kelsey certainly can do that, but she also has other parts of her game that are very good. And of course, I mean, lefties, they just make everything look better. Here’s Zandelini. Pass to Thornton. Vanloo. Let’s go with a three. And Zandelini is good for three. I mean, that shot just becomes effortless for her when the defense is so relaxed like that. Now, [Music] now Sykes the three ball. They get it back. Here’s Edwards and she gets the friendly spin and that one drops. Second quarter of basketball. About one minute played so far. Pass to Vanloo. Now here is Thornton. Well, Kayla Thornton loves these freebies and she’s able to contribute a lot for her team. First team foul and first trip to the free throw line for her in this one. Kayla Fton two shots. [Applause] [Applause] [Applause] And she knocks down the first one. [Applause] And that’s good as she hits both shots. Just over a minute has passed here in the second quarter. Pass to Angler. Melbourne. Five to shoot. [Applause] A rebound by Vanloo. It’s been a little while since they’ve been in the lead. And that’s why this is such an important possession for them. Lets it go from deep. Still looking for first make after that miss. 0 for two. The Mystics with the lead. Sykes outside. And we’re about 2 minutes into the second quarter here. Here’s Zandellesini. Picked by Thornton. And that misses. That would have put them up. The Mystics on offense. Sykes outside. Pass to Ka. And here’s Angler [Applause] Sykes. Britney Scythe can’t get that one to fall [Applause] here in quarter two. We’ve played a little over two and a half minutes now. Here’s Vanloo. Now Burton [Applause] fast as Zand Dellesini from past the arc. It’s good from long range. The Mystics trailing. Now Melbourne. She’s been patient so far. Nothing yet on the scoreboard. And there it is. And here’s Burton. Fast is on Delazini. And here’s Burton. [Music] And a little under three and 1/2 minutes are elapsed in the second quarter play. Vanloo. [Applause] Thornton with it. Zandelini. It’s Burton. Fires the three. Edwards grabs the miss. Sykes outside, makes the three. Second chance shot and Edwards lays it in. Coach has always told me that if you battle for offensive rebounds, you’re guaranteed a high quality shot on the follow just like she got there. Now here is Thornton. No good from 11 ft. Here’s Melbourne to the inside. Here’s Edwards. The shot that time not on target. Here’s Zandellesini. She’s guarded by Angler. [Applause] Pass to Burton and Lou. They set the pick. Fires for three. Drills the three-pointer. And Washington has possession. Now Angler Edwards with it from the baseline. They get it back. tries yet again and so she earns a trip to the line. Officials saw the contact and she’ll shoot two foul. What a play in attack mode and get inside. And the defense gets their money’s worth on that foul. Stopping the layup and not giving up the and one. That’s her first trip to the line. Take a break. Take a break. Two shots. [Applause] The first free throw is good. Well, there’s lots of ways you can build a team. What do you think is the best route, Tim? Well, optimally, you want to draft and develop, but that’s tough to do because it’s hard to find rookies and secondyear players who have a major impact. So, you need to have patience if you want a draft to develop. Yeah. So, I I like the teams that make smart trades. Whether it’s taking in picks, cashing in for a star, asset management is the name of the game. Pass to Vanloo. Now, Talbot launches it. Rebounded by Sykes. Now Ket. Now Melbourne. Kona. Dolston with it. Nails the baby hook. Scoring inside. It’s about a lot of things. To me, touch is most important. And Doulson knows how to get the ball in the hoop. Pass to Talbot. And here’s Roert. [Applause] Here’s Vanloo. No scoring yet from her, but that’s likely to change. Launches a three and it’s Dolson with the rebound. And Washington has possession. It’s a three-point game. Here’s Kune. [Music] Britney Sykes outside. The shot misses. Yeah, I’ll tell you her three-point shot has looked pretty bad here in the second half. She’s trying to shoot her way out of this slump, but I think she’s got to give it a rest and try something else. Pass to Hayes. Vanloo [Applause] outside. Hayes. Here’s Vanloo. Lets the three fly and that one’s good. Hayes. And that’ll tie this game up. With often praised intangibles, Hayes is able to consistently put the ball through the bucket. Pass to Sykes. Nolson sets a screen. Sykes. No good. I’m not sure why she keeps trying her luck from deep. It’s just not working for her. Three. Tiffany Hayes. The Mystics pull it in. Now Ket [Music] pass to Doulson. And here’s Melbour. Back to Doulson. Shoots it. The long distance three is Barry. showing off her ability to be a stretch. Stephanie Doulson is more than capable of hitting from way downtown. Here’s Talbot. She hasn’t yet put up any points in this one. Now, here is Hayes. Pass to Vanloo. And here’s Robert. She’s covered by Edwards. Here’s Hayes. Three-pointer again. Tiffany Hayes missing. And here’s Melbourne. Now Sykes. [Music] Edwards with the screen. Sykes. No good. Not a whole lot going down for her. She can’t catch a break. Here’s Talbot. They set a pick pass to Roert. And here is Hayes. This one for three. Here’s Belay. And the rebound paying off as they pick up two on the second chance bucket right there. The Mystics with the lead. Sykes outside. Melbourne pass to Doulson. The tray and the three ball is good. When a player has confidence like Doulson, you see the pass coming and expect her to take the shot immediately. Here’s Talbat. Here’s Vanloo. She’s guarded by Sykes. Here’s Talbot. Haze with it. Three-pointer. Drills it from outside. The rapid fire threes coming from everywhere. I wasn’t sure they should try to get the three right back like that, but hey, it worked out for them. Now, here is Sykes. She’s got 13. Pass to Doulson. Foul called that time on the way up. And that’ll give her two chances at the free throw. And she’ll take her third and fourth free throw shots of the night. Stephanie, two shots, shooting two. [Applause] And the first one drops. [Music] [Applause] So she makes one of two as the second one misses. [Music] Orton with it. Outside Hayes. Martin. Thornton outside. Four on the shot clock. Shoots the three. Rebounded by the Mystics. Sykes outside. Pass to Sutton. Sykes. Screen by Sykes. Here’s Sutton. She tries for three. The rebound by Thornton. Now Martin. [Music] Now Hayes puts up a three. And it’s Austin with the rebound. Even without that three ball dropping for her, the defense should have done way more on that last play. Yeah, I mean, the def’s got to be better. As a coach, you can’t stand seeing her having that much space to get her shot off. Now, here is Sykes. She’s got 13. And it’s going to be a 3second call. Here’s Hayes. She’s got 14. Pass to Martin. Thornton. [Applause] 3 second difference between the shot clock and the game clock. Fades. The Mystics pull it in. Sykes left side. And a pretty tightly contested game here as we end the first half. Mystics ahead up two. And time now for the halftime break with the third quarter soon to follow on 2K Sports. And it’s time for your fan half court shots. Please direct your attention to center court. Give me a beat. They’re measuring up the shot. [Applause] One more time, a round of applause. [Music] Heat. Heat. We have a close ball game on our hands as we get set for the second half to get underway. Tiffany Hayes really making a difference here. She put on a show from three-point range in the first half. We’ll see if the halftime break had any cooling effect on her. Well, we’ll soon find out because I guarantee they’re going to keep feeding her the rock beyond the ark until she does cool off. [Applause] And here’s Sutton. Pass to Angler. Austin with it. It’s Britney Sykes on the wing looking to get it going. The shot comes out. She keeps trying to force it up when she’s guarded and she’s just getting brick after brick. Here’s my suggestion. Move the ball around. Back to Hayes inside Billings. That evens the score. She always knows where her teammates are going to be and she’ll have that ball there waiting for them. Now, here is Sykes. down low. Shakir Austin high post. Four on the clock. Yanks for the screen out to Sutton. Shoots a three. Another rebound by Thornton. Here’s Martin. Now Hayes, now Billings. She’s guarded by Angler. And here’s Martin [Applause] for the lead. Cans it from downtown. I admire Hayes’s vision. I mean, she’s pretty much aware and alert of everything happening on the court. There’s Sutton. And they’re looking for a way to score here. Yeah, they’ve had a tough time taking the lid off. They got to score. Doulson with it. Pass to Sutton. To the paint. Here’s Sykes. The rebound by Thornton. [Applause] Outside. Hayes to the middle. Here’s Mcenlay. Takes the 12-footer and hits. What great touch. It hits the fadeaway with the player right in her face. Washington trailing. [Music] Sykes outside to the inside. Pass to Doulson. Yes. And it’s Shakira Austin picking up the assist. And another night in night out. A threat to just go off. Doulson’s diverse offensive arsenal make her a great score. Now here is Hayes. 14 points for her. Now Thornton. [Applause] Now Martin [Applause] to the paint. And it’s Doulson with the rebound. And here’s Sutton. Pass to Doulson. Sykes. She’s guarded by Hayes. [Music] Sykes up top. Austin with it. It’s good. Everything you could possibly want in a guard. Britney Sykes is a tremendous distributor. [Applause] Just under three and a half minutes played here in the third quarter. Here’s the pick inside. Miss foul. Stephanie Goldson. First personal foul. First team foul. And this is our first free throw of the game. Timmy. Two shots. [Applause] Shooting two. [Applause] And the first one falls for her. [Applause] Both shots good from the stripe. We’ve gone about three and a half minutes into the third now. Here’s Sutton. She’s guarded by Hayes. Now here’s Angler. Still getting warmed up offensively. No buckets yet in the game for her. And she was camped there in the lane and she gets the 3second call. Those those types of mistakes are magnified when it’s a tight game like this. Here’s [Applause] Hayes. 14 points for her. Pass to Thornton. Martin. There’s a screen. [Music] Outside. Hayes for three. Rebounded by the Mystics. Now Sutton [Music] Hanksler for the tie and it’s Billings with the rebound. Hard to figure out why she didn’t bury that one. Not a defender near her. Right side Hayes and that one good. Think about Tiffany Hayes. She is putting on a show. Sykes with the ball. 13 points in this game. [Music] Here’s the three. Gets the three-pointer to fall. I’m not sure that was the play they had set up, but it was too good a look to pass up. And here’s Martin. Six points for her. Pass to Thornton. Now here is Hayes. [Music] She’s off on that one. Great D that time from Shakira Austin. And a 2020 third round pick. Shut something was actually out of the league until 2023. Well, she only played 12 games in the Wubble. She wasn’t in the W in 2021 or 2022, but Sutton had had a monster year 2023 in Phoenix. She was actually top 10 in the entire league in assists. Now, here is Hayes. She’s got 16. The shot was there for her. She had to take it. And I don’t care if she didn’t convert. She should take it again next time. And it’s Austin missing. Here’s Martin. [Applause] Outside. Hayes. Shoots it up again. Tiffany Hayes missing. Here’s the Mystics with the ball. Pass to Sutton. [Music] Here’s Austin. For the lead Angler with it. There’s the triple. The rebound by Thornton outside. Hayes. [Music] And here’s Martin. Guarded by Austin [Applause] on the wing. Kayla Thornton. Five on the clock. And the rebound goes to the Mystics. Now here is Sykes. Pass to Sutton. Back to Sykes. Angler. Here’s Doulson. Here’s Sykes. And she lays it straight in. Good possession resulting in the easy one down low. Now Hayes. 16 points for her. Sykes with a strong contribution so far in this game. Good timeout. She’s absolutely dialed in from outside. They need to to close out on her much quicker and they need to figure out a way to stop. Heat. Heat. Heat. [Music] Heat. [Applause] So, both teams making some changes here. [Applause] [Music] And here’s Burton looking for first basket still in this one. Another miss and they’ve really hit a rough patch. Sykes outside from downtown. That shot off. Here’s Billings [Music] pass to Vanloo and there’s the 3second violation. [Applause] The Mystics with the lead. Here’s Ka Sykes. Austin with it. Fires at the elbow. Yeah. Count it. Opportunistic shot by Austin. Finds the mid-range look and doesn’t waste it. Pass to Vanloo. [Applause] Here’s the three and the rebound goes to the Mystics. Now K. And here’s Melbourne. Now Sykes from deep buries it from three-point range. Puts her awareness on full display. Sykes knew exactly how much time she has for the catch and shoot. Sykes with a strong contribution so far in this game. She just keeps drilling the big shots. They got to design a way to get the ball out of her hands. against heat. Heat. Heat. [Applause] on the Lakers. [Applause] It’s Burton. He hasn’t yet put up any points in this one. Pass to Rupert. Zandelini just five on the clock. Vanloo gets it to go from downtown. I tell you, she loves getting looks like that from three-point range. Just nobody near her. [Music] Al Melbourne. [Music] Here’s Ka. Britney Sykes outside and the Mystics hit again from deep. Well, I think she she owes the three-pointer dinner. It’s been her best friend today. No question. Well, it has been today anyway. I mean, look, most of her points have been courtesy of the deep ball. Here’s Zandelini. She’s got six. Here’s Vanloo. Tried to answer back, but that three is off the mark. Sykes outside. pulls up from the top of the key and it’s Billings with the rebound. Well, that’s just not a sight you see very often because she has a great feel for that jump shot, especially when she’s open. Soft touch off the glass, man. Her defender straight into that screen to open up the lane to the hoop. So, it’s Washington now leading by five. Now Pune down low. Sykes takes the assist and lays it in. Picked out the pass nicely. Whenever your big is passing the rock like Austin, it’s a great sign for your squad’s ball movement. Passes on Zandelini. [Applause] Here’s Vanloo from outside the arc. Drops in the tray. They can’t afford to give her that kind of look. Well, it came off a good screen, but still as a defender, you have to fight over the top of it, and you need some help as well. Here’s Pune. Now, here is Sykes. [Music] [Applause] And it’s Billings with the rebound. Good on the shot. Here’s Melbourne. Clock management. This is where they can get a two for one. I love the two for one. Every opportunity counts. [Music] Pass to sight. Shot on the wing. Johni pulls it in. 3sec difference between the shot clock and the game clock. Here’s Vanloo. Here’s Robert guarded by Austin. And here’s Burton. Now Zand Dellescini just five to shoot. Now Roert Vanloo. She’s guarded by Sykes. Zand Dellesini can’t get it to go. And we have just finished the third quarter. And a tight game. We’ve got the Mystics on top. They’re up by two. And time to step away quickly, but we’ll be back in no time with the start of the fourth quarter. [Applause] We welcome you back to what has been a good one here as we get into the fourth quarter. Now Burton fast as Delosini. Now Burton. Here’s Vanloo. And here’s Xandelini. Down to five on the shot clock. Bangs home the trifecta. Three. The Mystics trailing. Sykes outside. There’s a screen. This one for three. Salvad pulls it in. Here’s Vanloo. She’s guarded by Sykes. Fast as Delosini. Can’t cash in from the high post. on the wing. Emily Angler. [Music] A few possessions into the fourth quarter. Just over one minute played. Sykes no good. It’s Burton. She’s covered by Edwards. Here’s Vanloo. Burton. Pass to Roupert to the inside. And Sandalini gets it to go. The plan worked perfectly that possession. Get it inside. Get the high percentage shot. And they’re looking for some kind of spark here. Yeah, full stretch offensively. They need a bucket. Sykes with the ball. Takes the three. Kept alive. Let’s go with a three. That one. No good. We’re about 2 minutes into the fourth quarter in this one. [Applause] Pass to Talbot Delisini. [Applause] Here’s Burton. No good on the three. Oh, it’s Washington now. Nothing doing offensively yet for them in the fourth. Here’s Melbourne. Sykes left side to tie it up. Valvet pulls it in. This has not been a quarter to remember for her. I mean, what’s going on right now? What is this? She’s not making any sort of impact for them at that end of the court. Pass to Burton from the arc. The rebound by Melbourne. Angler with it. Kona outside. Edwards back to Sykes. Tries to snap the cold streak. That shot off and she’s missing shot after shot after shot from long range. And with time running out, I think it’s time for her to try something else. Pass to Talbot. That one is off. Aaliyah Edwards strong defensive effort. A little over three and a half minutes in the books now for this fourth quarter. And here’s Melbourne. Monaet. Edwards left side. Valvet pulls it in. [Applause] Here’s Vanloo. [Applause] Throws it up high. Burton. Rupert. No good. Should be thanking her for that miss. Now here’s Angler. Sykes outside to tie it up. Unable to get that one to go. Pass to Vanloo. It’s Burton. [Applause] Out to the wing. Vanloo. She’s guarded by Sykes. Talbot. No good. Sykes outside. Pass to Melbourne. Shot to stop the drought and it’s good. Assisting on the play was Britney Sykes. And you’re seeing the selflessness from Britney Sykes right there. She is all about doing whatever is best for the team. Now Talbbert and here’s Burton. The shot no good. A chance here to retake the lead. Showing that intensity in these last few minutes. It’s Britney Sykes on the wing. Pass to Angler. Outside Edwards to take the lead. A rebound by Vanloo. It’s Burton. And here’s Xandelini. Pass to Burton. The three good on the triple. [Applause] Now Melbourne Washington calls timeout. Yeah, I think the coach is watching a lot of shots they normally make out and it has to be frustrating. Maybe see if they could create some scoring opportunities at the free throw line. That may be the answer for them. But you know ultimately I expect them to shoot their way out of this line. Now for your breaker. [Music] Heat. Heat. [Music] [Applause] [Applause] Both teams deciding to change it up. Here’s [Applause] [Applause] Angler. Pass to Sutton. [Music] Screen by Austin. Just four to shoot. And another miss by Washington. Outside Hayes. Now Billings. She’s guarded by Sykes. Here’s Martin. Pass to Menlay. shoots over Austin backlay can’t hit but Mystics trailing. Here’s Sutton. Great D that time from Tiffany Hayes. Beyond the arc. rebounded by Sykes. She has some lots of coverage that turn into no coverage. And when she’s open like that, you don’t see her miss that sort of look very often. Now, here’s Angler. Pass to Sutton. [Applause] Screen by Austin from deep. Sutton with the bucket. And it’s a tie ball game. Perfect screen there. center up with a terrific look. Yeah, but that’s a bad job by the defender to not fight through that screen to contest. You want to see more effort there now. Here is Hayes. Pass to Menlay. Shoots over Austin. Menlay can’t hit. He operates well in traffic, but still a tough play to finish off. Now Sutton Sykes inside to take the lead. So they take the lead. That pass led her so perfectly. She didn’t even have to break stride. Hayes with it. Pass to Martin. And here is Beg Benley. Horton outside her three. Tiffany Hayes rebounded by the Mystics. She can’t get anything to drop. And the way she’s going, it’s probably not something she should try to to shoot her way out of. And I’m sure her teammates would agree with that. You know, the last thing they want to see her doing is shooting it more. Now here is Hayes Thornton up top. Billings guarded by Doulson. Clock at six. [Applause] Pass to Martin. Three-pointer that drops and it comes off an assist from Tiffany Hayes. Yeah, well with eagle-eyed vision, Hayes has earned a reputation as a capable distributor. Now here’s Angler Austin. Britney Sykes outside Doulson in the post and it’s Billings with the rebound and here’s Martin. Pass to Billings [Applause] outside Hayes. [Applause] Shot clock at six. And here’s Martin. He’s guarded by Heres for three. This has been a rough second half for her shooting the ball. She should probably adopt a pass first mentality at this point. Sykes. Good work defensively by Kayla Thornton. Now Martin passed to Bag Menlay to the paint. Missed the ball. Needs to miss her basket for a fifth happy pairing of the game. She’s five for nine. They carried out the plan perfectly that time around. Now here is Sykes looking to end her cold spell and she gets a jumper to drop. In big moments, Sykes does not lack aggressiveness. If she can make a difference, she will through the middle. Here’s that rebounded by Sykes. So, it’s Washington now to the inside. Pass to Sutton trying her luck from deep and it’s Billings with the rebound. 7second difference between the shot clock and the game clock. And they’ll be trying to take as much time off the clock as they can. Exactly. Expect to see some long possessions out of them from this point forward. Milk the clock. Here’s Benley. Morton outside. Knocks down the three. That just adds to what’s probably already an insurmountable lead. I think they’ll be leaving here with a win. Yeah, hard to imagine any other outcome than the one that’s staring us right in the face. Time called here. The Mystics decide to talk it over. Time is the big factor here. You need to get the points fast and then foul. Yeah, Tim. And it has to be a quick foul. Every second is critical at this stage. Yeah, they cannot waste any time if they want to come back. Here’s Doulson. Off with the layup. [Applause] And so the road team gets the W in this one. This was a hard fought, well-earned victory for them. They really had to work for this one. Yeah, weaker teams, they might have buckled at the end, you know, really with that crowd amped up, everyone in the building running against them, but they stood tall and pulled it out. That’ll do it for our broadcast, everyone. I am banana and Tim Schwarz. I’m Blake Sunniga and we’re thrilled to have you with us. And with a moment here before we get to the tip off, here are tonight’s starting lineups. [Applause] And the trademark of both of these teams, strong defense. Got to love it. What will that mean for tonight’s contest? Well, the coaches will have a big role in a strength on strength matchup. Game planning takes on added importance. And one more thing about these teams, Brian, I mean, there is no shortage of effort. Now, here is Hayes. Jacks up a three and she’s good on the three ball. Getting great lift on her shot. Hayes can really drain him from three. Now Sutton Sykes outside. [Music] Another rebound by Thornton. [Applause] And here’s Martin. Thornton outside. Back to Hayes. Six on the shot clock. Here’s Billings. Rebounded by the Mystics. [Music] Pass to Sutton. Back to Sykes. And here’s Doulson. [Music] Now Sutton expanding her range. It’s not going to go for her. Here’s Martin. The three is up. Comes out of the gate. Empty. [Music] Now Sutton. Pass to Sykes. Doulson. Screen by Sykes. Here’s Sutton from beyond the arc. That one falls coming off Stephanie Doulson speed. Here’s Hayes. Just about 2 minutes into the game. First quarter of basketball. The three. And it’s Doulson with the rebound. Here’s Sutton. She’s guarded by Hayes. Pass to Angler. Austin Sykes outside. That one’s in. Her first basket of the game. She is one for two. Well, this is how you finish inside. Britney Sykes going up with confidence. And here is Beg Benley guarded by Austin. and here is Febenlay. Pass to Billings, the three and it’s Austin with the rebound. The Mystics leading. When you look at this Washington team, they hang their hat on defense. That’s the priority. Yeah, last year they were fourth in defensive rating. They have a great coaching staff that helps with scouting reports, defensive schemes that we’ll see. And the Mystics do a great job, you know, executing those scouting reports. Pass to Hayes. Rebounded by Sites. There was just enough defensive pressure to get her off balance from outside the arc. No good there. You know, she shouldn’t miss those, but you know, it happened to the best of them. Now here is Hayes to the middle. Thornton outside pass to Martin. Thorton with it to stop the drought. Doesn’t get it to drop for Here’s Sutton. Now Angler ready Sykes outside. It’s hauled in by Tiffany Hayes. Pass to Martin. Here’s Thornton. Hayes. And good. Coming off the assist by Kayla Thornton. Takes pride in each performance. Hayes is the centerpiece of everything her team does. Now here is Doulson Anxler with it. She hasn’t scored yet. That I’m sure will change. Here’s Sykes. No good on that shot. Good work defensively by Kayla Thornton. Here’s Billings. Misses and close. The Mystics trailing. Now Sutton Sykes outside, takes the three, sinks the triple. Well, beyond the arc, Sykes can be pretty choosy cuz she finds an angle she likes and drills it. And here is Hayes. Six points for her. Pass to Martin. Bag Benlay guarded by Austin. fades and shoots. Hits some rim on the way in and the bucket’s good. Next time she has that much space, she should just go straight up with it and leave the fade away at home. Sykes outside, fires from deep again. Britney Sykes missing. Now here is Hayes. Pass to Martin. Tiffany Hayes on the wing. The three-pointer off the mark. You don’t want to give up that kind of look often. They’re very lucky they didn’t get burnt. And here’s Sutton. [Applause] Tries a three. Martin pulls it in. Tiffany Hayes on the wing. Pass to Martin. Benlay [Music] to the wing on the left. [Music] Gorton with it. Here’s Benlay. Guarded by Austin Martin. Good on the three-point shot. You know what? I don’t care how far from the bucket she is. You’ve got to have a defender on her. She’s just too good from long range. Here’s Sutton. Sykes outside. Here’s Austin off target with the jump hook. [Applause] Here’s Hayes. [Applause] Now Martin [Applause] spins. [Applause] from the arc and the rebound goes to the Mystics. And they could use a big shot here to get this offense going. Yeah, too many empty possessions. I mean, it’s simple. They need points and it’s going to be out of bounds. The Mystics will retain possession. Substitution. [Applause] Now here is Doulson. Tight defense on her. Doulson with the screen. And another miss by Washington beyond the arc. Martin. No bueno. Sykes with the ball. She has five. Pass to Melbourne. to the paint. Dolson outside for Sykes. Shot clock at five to end the drought. No good that time. You know, she keeps jacking up those threes without much to show for it. She’s going to lose the green light very early in this game if this keeps up. Now Peg Benley, one near her and that one comes up a bit short. And here’s Sutton. Pass to Melbourne. Austin. Britney Sykes for three. Sinks the three-pointer. It’s a tie ball game. I saw a little confusion amongst the D as to who was supposed to be guarding her. Outside Hayes. Now Benlay guarded by Doulson. A nice shot by Fug Benle. [Applause] Now here is Sykes. She’s got eight. [Music] Over to the wing from deep. Melbourne. Shot is off. Now here is Hayes guarded closely pass to Billings. It’s Burton. And there’s the pick and it’s Austin with the rebound. And here’s Washington trailing by two. Here’s Sutton. [Applause] It’s Britney Sykes on the wing. Screen by Austin. Six to shoot. Two open that time. Made it look easy. She can beat you in a lot of different ways. Sykes is dangerous in the pick and roll game because she can handle the ball, too. Outside. Hayes laid in with a nice touch off the glass. took advantage of some shotty D there. They got to at least get a finger on her. [Music] Sykes right side down low. Doulson in the post. Burton with the rebound. Pass to Martin inside. Great D that time from Shakira Austin. Terrific job defending the basket that time. It’s not an easy task stopping her when she’s headed to the rim. [Music] And a foul called on the shot. Got her on the way up that time. So she’ll shoot two. The mobility of Doulson coupled with her size. It’s very difficult once she gets inside to stop. Sometimes you have to foul. Shooting two. The first one falls. [Applause] And so she hits both. Now Burton quiet so far offensively searching for her first points of the game. Pass to Vanloo. There’s the three and the rebound goes to the Mystics. And here’s Melbourne. [Applause] Here’s Kune. Doulson with it [Applause] and the go-ahehead bucket. No good. So the first quarter ends, the tie game and a lowscoring one so far. And back in a moment as we’ll get underway with quarter two. [Applause] And so far it’s been a closely contested game as we get the second quarter going. And for the Mystics guys, what jumps out to you statwise? A lot of trips to the line for them through the first. Very aggressive offensively and they’re making full use of their homecourt advantage. I’ll tell you that much. Fans have really helped them [Applause] and Washington has possession. Pass to Ka. Sykes with the ball for three and Britney Sykes gets the three. Remember, she’s on the court to do this. Score. Sykes can fill it up once she gets going. You know, we try to not play favorites, but the truth is we’re all fans here. So, guys, who is your favorite player to watch? This is easy. I got to go with Sabrina Yanescu, who’s also from my hometown of Walnick Creek. She plays so unselfish, but also has an amazing three-point shot, so she can score in bunches. Yeah, I’m a big Kelsey Plum fan. You know, I love players who can shoot, and Kelsey certainly can do that, but she also has other parts of her game that are very good. And of course, I mean, lefties, they just make everything look better. Here’s Zandelini. Pass to Thornton. Vanloo, let’s go with a three. And Zandelini is good for three. I mean, that shot just becomes effortless for her when the defense is so relaxed like that. Now [Music] Sykes the three ball. They get it back. Here’s Edwards and she gets the friendly spin and that one drops. Second quarter of basketball about one minute played so far. Pass to Vanloo. Now here is Thornton. Well, Kayla Thornton loves these freebies and she’s able to contribute a lot for her team. First team and first trip to the free throw line for her in this one. Kayla Thornton. Two shots. [Applause] [Applause] [Applause] And she knocks down the first one. [Applause] and that’s good as she hits both shots. Just over a minute has passed here in the second quarter. Pass to Angler Melbourne. [Music] Sykes outside. Five to shoot. [Applause] A rebound by Vanloo. It’s been a little while since they’ve been in the lead and that’s why this is such an important possession for them. Lets it go from deep. Still looking for a first make after that miss. 0 for two. The Mystics with the lead. Sykes outside. And we’re about 2 minutes into the second quarter here. Here’s Zandellesini. Picked by Thornton. And that misses. That would have put them up. The Mystics on offense. Sykes outside. Pass to Ka. And here’s Angler. [Applause] Sykes. Britney Scythe. Can’t get that one to fall. [Applause] Here in quarter two. We’ve played a little over two and a half minutes now. Here’s Vanloo. Now Burton [Applause] fast is Zand Delalisini from past the arc. It’s good from long range. The Mystics trailing now Melbourne. She’s been patient so far. Nothing yet on the scoreboard. And there it is. And here’s Burton. Nastelini. And here’s Burton. [Music] And a little under three and a half minutes are lapsed in the second quarter play. Vanloo. [Applause] Thornton with it. Zandelini. It’s Burton. Fires the three. Edwards grabs the miss. Sykes outside, makes the three. Second chance shot and Edwards lays it in. Coach has always told me that if you battle for offensive rebounds, you’re guaranteed a high quality shot on the follow just like she got there. Now, here is Thornton. No good from 11 ft. Here’s Melbourne to the inside. Here’s Edwards. The shot that time not on target. Here’s Zandellesini. She’s guarded by Angler. [Applause] Pass to Burton. Vanloo. [Applause] They set the pick. Fires for three. Drills the three-pointer. And Washington has possession. Now Angler. Edwards with it from the baseline. They get it back. Tries yet again. And so she earns a trip to the line. Officials saw the contact and she’ll shoot two. What a play in attack mode and get inside. And the defense gets their money’s worth on that foul. Stopping the layup and not giving up the and one. That’s her first trip to the line. Take a break. Take a break. Two shots. [Applause] The first free throw is good. Well, there’s lots of ways you can build a team. What do you think is the best route, Tim? Well, optimally you want to draft and develop, but that’s tough to do because it’s hard to find rookies in second-year players who have a major impact. So, you need to have patience if you want to draft and develop. Yeah. So, I I like the teams that make smart trades, whether it’s taking in picks, cashing in for a star. Asset management is the name of the game. Pass to Vanloo.

WNBA LIVE! Golden State Valkyries vs Washington Mystics July 31, 2025 | WNBA Regular Season Live 2K
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Golden State Valkyries (12-13)

Currently 5th in Western Conference

Coming off a 77-75 victory over Atlanta Dream

Key player: Cecilia Zandalasini (18 points in last game)

Notable players: Tiffany Hayes, Monique Billings, Kate Martin

Washington Mystics (13-13)

Currently 7th in Eastern Conference

Coming off a 103-86 victory over Chicago Sky

Key player: Sonia Citron (28 points in last game)

Notable rookies: Sonia Citron and Kiki Iriafen (2025 All-Stars)