By Tiffany Williams –
Following a disappointing home opener loss to the New York Liberty, the Washington Mystics hit the road for their first matchup of the season against the Connecticut Sun. In a Friday night prime time showdown at Mohegan Sun Arena, and the Mystics fell short, losing 84-77.
The game started with the Sun taking an early 4-0 lead, but the Mystics quickly responded, with Ariel Atkins and Karlie Samuelson making key shots to put them ahead 5-4. The first quarter ended with the Mystics holding a slim 20-18 lead.
In the second quarter, the Mystics maintained their lead with contributions from Julie Vanloo and Shatori Walker-Kimbrough, but the Sun fought back, and the game was tied at 36-36 at halftime.
The third quarter saw back-and-forth action, with the Sun eventually taking a narrow lead. However, the Mystics rallied and ended the quarter with a 56-52 advantage.
Karlie Samuelson, who joined the Mystics as a free agent guard/forward, showcased her skills by scoring 18 points, including four three-pointers, and contributing defensively with rebounds and assists.
Julie Vanloo, who was signed to a training camp contract, seized the opportunity for more playing time and made an impact with 12 points, eight assists, and solid defensive play.
Aaliyah Edwards, the sixth overall pick in the 2024 WNBA Draft, put in a solid performance with six points and strong defensive contributions.
Ariel Atkins played a key role for the Mystics with eight points, seven assists, and solid defensive play.
Overall, the Mystics showed resilience and determination Friday night, with several players stepping up to make significant contributions in the game against the Sun.
During Friday’s pre-game press gaggle, when I asked Mystics HC Eric Thibault about Ariel Atkins and he said, “Ariel’s had a terrific camp. She’s embraced, you know, being a leader on this team. I think she’s, you know, I don’t even want to talk about it, but feeling better physically than she has in a long time. And shoot the ball well, making good decisions, defending. You know, she’s been a multi-time all-defense player for a reason, and she’s doing it on both ends. But, you know, it’s why she’s an Olympian. It’s why she’s been an all-star. She’s just kind of setting the standard for our group right now.”
Later during the press gaggle, Thibault talking about Ariel said, “I think a big thing for Ariel is that she’s done a great job so far this camp is navigating screens and not getting hit and ending up on the floor. I’m not exactly talking out of school. It’s been very, very, you know, a focal point for her for a while. But, you know, it kind of goes back to what I was saying at the start about her health and her body feeling good and feeling confident. She’s moving well. And so, you know, that’s a lot to go against if you’re an opposing backcourt.”
Following the game I talked with Mystics guard Ariel Atkins and first asked her how she felt coming into this game, and Ariel said, “I felt pretty confident, I think we’re doing the things that we need to do to get better every day. Obviously, we know Connecticut is a highly talented team, they’ve been together for a little while. I mean, they made a big run last year, knowing that we were going to have to come in here aggressive and be able to punch and be able to sustain their punches.”
When asked about the Mystics leading runs for most of the game, and what she thought happened in that fourth, Ariel said, ‘I mean, if I’m not mistaken, they went on a 15-0 run, and it’s hard to let a team like that do that. You know, they saw all the buckets go in, they started getting confidence, they started pointing at each other, you know, cheering each other on. They kind of just took the momentum of the game and ran with it.
When asked about Tuesday night’s home opener against New York and Friday nights matchup with Connecticut, and how she thought the team was doing, Ariel said, “I mean, believe it or not, we’re getting better, and it pisses me off to say that because we haven’t got a win out of it yet. Those are two teams that made it deep in the playoffs last year, and we have a ton of new pieces. We have people in new positions, but I mean, everyone can see it. Our chemistry has already grown so much from training camp. But yeah, I mean, at the end of the day, we’re going to keep fighting. We’re getting better every day, and I stand by that, even though we haven’t had a win from it yet.”
When asked about going back to the drawing board and what she felt the Mystics have to do to get ready for Sunday night’s matchup with Seattle, Ariel said, “Get some sleep, recover, get home, eat some good food, drink some cherry juice, but kind of lock in. Seattle’s got some new faces, too. They got new actions that they’re working through. I mean, obviously pinpointing Jewel, but honestly, I haven’t looked at the sky. I mean, I know them individually, but I haven’t been able to check them out as a unit yet, so I don’t know how to answer that, to be honest with you.
When asked about looking ahead at the Olympics and the All-Star game, Ariel said, “I mean, I’ve got to make the team first, so I mean, Jennifer Rizzotti, president of Connecticut Sun’s here, she’s on our board. Hopefully they deem me able to help the team win a gold medal.”
During the pre-game press gaggle, when Thibault was asked about Tuesday night’s home opener matchup with New York and coming into tonight’s matchup with Connecticut, what did the Mystics did in practice to get ready for Friday night, Thibault said, “We, I mean, we’re fully into season mode now. We’re not having long practices already. But, you know, yesterday just trying to tighten a few things up defensively. I think it’s more, you know, small tweaks on that end. We didn’t start the game quite the way we wanted and didn’t quite finish it the way we wanted. But offensively, we’re just still in the process of learning from each other. So we’re trying to get, you know, chemistry every chance we can. Understand what our reads and our options are out of our offense. So, you know, every time we get an hour here or there, that’s what we’re trying to do.
Up next for the Mystics is a non-conference matchup with Seattle Storm on Sunday at 3:00 PM, at home at Entertainment & Sports Arena in Washington DC.
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