The Dallas Wings and Washington Mystics square off Tuesday in a key late-season clash in Arlington, Texas, with a move up the standings and into the postseason picture on the minds of both squads.
The Mystics and Wings are both 9-23 on the season and on the outside looking in for the WNBA playoffs, which includes the top eight teams. Washington currently holds the tiebreaker with Dallas on the basis of its two wins in back-to-back nights over the Wings in June.
The teams are two games below the playoff line with eight games to play, giving the upper hand to the winner of Tuesday’s contest.
“We know our schedule that’s left and we have a chance to make the playoffs,” Mystics center Stefanie Dolson said. “We’ve just got to keep pushing.”
Washington has captured three of its past four games but had a season-best three-game winning streak snapped with a 96-85 loss at Connecticut on Sunday. Ariel Atkins led the Mystics with 15 points in the setback, while Dolson added 14 points and seven rebounds and Emily Engstler finished with 12 points.
The Mystics never led after midway through the first quarter but pulled to within seven points in the fourth.
The Wings (9-23) conclude a five-game homestand Tuesday that produced three straight wins before Sunday’s 100-93 setback to Indiana. Arike Ogunbowale led Dallas on Sunday, scoring 34 points and pouring in a career-high nine 3-pointers, tying the most in game by one player in WNBA history.
Satou Sabally added 25 points, Natasha Howard scored 18 and Teaira McCowan grabbed 11 rebounds in the loss.
Dallas’ run has brought it back into contention for the playoffs, but the loss to the Fever — in a back-and-forth contest that featured 20 lead changes — put a dent into that move up the standings.
“We’re trying to make the playoffs,” Dallas coach Latricia Trammell said. “We’re finally, for the most part, healthy, and that hasn’t been that way this season, so we’re focused on us and trying to take one game at a time.”
–Field Level Media