After ugly first half, Mystics rally for much-needed win behind Natasha Cloud - The Washington Post

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Natasha Cloud had seen enough. Her Washington Mystics had just put together their lowest-scoring half of season. They went into halftime trailing by 16 and were on the verge of their sixth loss in seven games.

With the Mystics’ playoff hopes dwindling by the minute, Cloud took over in the third quarter and willed them to a 76-75 comeback victory over the Dallas Wings that they absolutely needed. She scored 15 points in the third quarter after being held scoreless in the first half and finished with a season-high 21. Her passion was clear: She flexed, shouted and celebrated with teammates throughout the second half, then received a rousing ovation as she walked off the court following the game.

The Mystics (10-15) sit in ninth place in the WNBA, percentage points behind the New York Liberty (11-16) for the final playoff slot.

“With Elena [Delle Donne] and Tina [Charles] being out and [Ariel Atkins] struggling a little bit tonight, a lot more does fall on me,” Cloud said. “And I’m capable of it. Most nights, that’s not my job. … But tonight I just needed to take a little bit more of a scoring role in that second half.”

That was because of a first half that ended with the Mystics trailing 35-19. They shot just 21.4 percent from the field, and only three players made a shot. Only Theresa Plaisance, who had all 11 of her points in the opening half, had more than one field goal. And a second-half rally was particularly unlikely considering the team had consistently blown leads in the second half since it returned from the Olympic break.

For the first time in a while, the Mystics found some life in the second half, particularly Cloud. Myisha Hines-Allen, who was benched to start the second half, checked in and played with a sense of urgency that was missing in the first half. She finished with 15 points. Erica McCall and rarely used Megan Gustafson both provided energy.

“Some I can’t repeat,” Mystics Coach Mike Thibault said about his halftime message. “I challenged them. We couldn’t play any worse offensively. We were actually playing really good defense in the first half. … I just felt we had people hanging their heads at halftime. When they were missing shots, they felt sorry for themselves, those kinds of things. You can’t do that if you’re a professional athlete.

“It was because of our attack mentality more than anything else. And I think that’s the biggest part of it.”

Arike Ogunbowale scored a game-high 25 for the Wings, Isabelle Harrison added 18 points and nine rebounds, and Marina Mabrey scored 17 off the bench.

Thibault said Hines-Allen was one of the people who was directly challenged at halftime.

“Well, did you watch her play in the first half? That was it,” Thibault said. “That was it. I mean, she was one of the people that got challenged. Last year in the bubble, she got challenged, and she stepped up. And my message is you can either feel sorry for the ball not going in and feel sorry for yourself or you can react.”

The Wings clearly became frustrated as the lead disappeared and were called for three technical fouls after halftime.

With Charles (hip) and Delle Donne out for the Mystics, the early lack of offense was not a complete shock. Charles carried the team all season as it dealt with a litany of injuries, and her efforts as the WNBA’s leading scorer kept the group in playoff contention. The former MVP, who is averaging 25.4 points, is in New York working with doctors.

Delle Donne’s return from a back injury was cut short after three games. Washington continues to be extra cautious as she returns from three herniated disks and two back surgeries that kept her out for the better part of two years. The two-time MVP was jostled under the basket against the Wings on Thursday as she grabbed a pair of offensive rebounds before scoring from close. She was removed from the game soon after because she didn’t feel quite right.

The Mystics labeled her as questionable, and Thibault called her a game-time decision. She didn’t take the floor until the team came out for the layup line, and she just stood behind the baseline watching. Delle Donne stayed on the bench all game and was involved, talking with teammates throughout.

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