PHOENIX — Mystics teammates couldn’t stop laughing as Karlie Samuelson walked over and sat on the bench. Julie Vanloo was literally crying.
Samuelson declined to come out of the game and immediately hit a three-pointer to give Washington a 16-point lead. When the final buzzer sounded, Samuelson had a career-high 19 points to go with a career-high five threes to lead the Mystics to a 90-77 victory. She was perfect from the field, hitting all six shots to go with three assists and a steal.
“The first thing we said is, of course it’s Karlie, Karlie’s been so unlucky [with injuries] this season,” Vanloo said. “Then we thought, oh, she’s probably bleeding, and then she stood up and she was fine. I was like, Karlie, you good? And I see this [lump], I’m like YO!
“The problem is when I hold my laugh back, I start crying. ... I feel bad, but it was just so funny.”
Washington (11-23) has won 5 of its past 6 games and is now a half game back of the Sky (11-22) and Dream (11-22) for the No. 8 seed and the last playoff spot. Should the Mystics reach the postseason after starting the season with a franchise-worst 0-12 skid, they would set a WNBA mark for overcoming the worst start to make the postseason, besting the 2015 Los Angeles Sparks, who opened the season 0-7.
“We've been playing good basketball,” Mystics Coach Eric Thibault said. “It's fun to watch. It's fun to play. Just kind of riding the wave right now. Karlie shooting like that, obviously, makes a big difference.
“Keep doing what we're doing. Don't talk about [the playoff race]. Keep playing good basketball. That's it.”
The Mystics had Mercury fans swearing in the stands as they went into halftime with a 50-32 lead after shooting 55.6 percent from the field and 47.1 percent from beyond the arc. Constant ball movement continually found open shooters, who knocked down their shots. A 14-3 second-quarter run, including Samuelson’s post-elbow three-pointer, put Phoenix in a 19-point hole.
“All my teammates were laughing at me, but checking on me at the same time,” Samuelson said with a smile. “My teammates found me really well. That’s all I can say. … It’s really just a testament to my teammates. And honestly, I was tired today. It felt like a 10 p.m. tip-off.
“It just feels good to have a game like this shooting-wise. All season I've been searching for this kind of game.”
The second half was more of the same as Thibault emptied his bench, and the Mystics finished at 52.9 percent shooting, including 14 of 28 from three-point range. Brittney Sykes finished with 14 points, four rebounds and three assists. Vanloo added 13 points and three three-pointers and now has the 10th most three-pointers (64) by a rookie in WNBA history, surpassing Diana Taurasi’s previous mark. Emily Engstler contributed 10 points off the bench as the reserves finished with 44 points.
It was the first time this season the Mystics shot 50 percent from the field, 50 percent from three-point range and 80 percent (4 for 5) from the free throw line.
Brittney Griner led the Mercury with 15 points. Former Mystic Natasha Cloud scored 13 and handed out five assists.
Shakira Austin missed her fourth consecutive game with a left ankle injury, though she had a 30-minute individual workout at the end of Thursday’s shootaround with the coaching staff. Thibault said she has begun to do more and more court work the past several days, but there still isn’t a timeline for her return.
The Mystics lost another starter when Ariel Atkins checked out in the second quarter and never returned with an ankle injury. Thibault thinks she tweaked it against the Dallas Wings on Tuesday. She was seen after the game walking without crutches or a walking boot.
Washington returns home to host the Minnesota Lynx on Sunday.
