The Washington Post - 30.08.2019

D2 EZ SU THE WASHINGTON POST.FRIDAY, AUGUST 30 , 2019

AUTO RACING

4:55 a.m. Formula One: Belgian Grand Prix, practice session 1 » ESPN2

1 p.m. NASCAR Xfinity Series: VFW 200, practice » NBC Sports Network

2 p.m. NASCAR Cup Series: Southern 500, practice » NBC Sports Network

3 p.m. NASCAR Xfinity Series: VFW 200, final practice » NBC Sports Network

4 p.m. NASCAR Cup Series: Southern 500, final practice » NBC Sports Network

SOCCER

2:30 p.m. German Bundesliga: Leipzig at Borussia Monchengladbach » Fox Sports 2

2:45 p.m. French Ligue 1: Paris Saint-Germain at FC Metz » beIN Sports

4:45 p.m. Spanish La Liga: Real Sociedad at Athletic Club » beIN Sports

COLLEGE SOCCER

5 p.m. Men: Elon at Cal State Bakersfield » ACC Network

7 p.m. Men: Pacific at Virginia » ACC Network

10 p.m. Women: Pennsylvania at Stanford » Pac-12 Network

HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL

8 p.m. St. Joseph Prep (Pa.) at Marietta (Ga.) » ESPNU

WOMEN’S COLLEGE VOLLEYBALL

8 p.m. Illinois at Tennessee » SEC Network

MIXED MARTIAL ARTS

3 a.m. (Sat.) UFC Fight Night Prelims: undercard bouts » ESPN

TELEVISION AND RADIO

MLB

2 p.m. Milwaukee at Chicago Cubs » MLB Network

7 p.m. Miami at Washington » MASN2, WJFK (106.7 FM), WFED (1500 AM)

7 p.m. Oakland at New York Yankees » MLB Network

8:15 p.m. Baltimore at Kansas City » MASN, WTEM (980 AM)

COLLEGE FOOTBALL

6 p.m. Rice at Army » CBS Sports Network

7 p.m. Wisconsin at South Florida » ESPN

7 p.m. Tulsa at Michigan State » Fox Sports 1

7 p.m. Massachusetts at Rutgers » Big Te n Network

8 p.m. Utah State at Wake Forest » ACC Network

9:30 p.m. Purdue at Nevada » CBS Sports Network

10 p.m. Colorado vs. Colorado State » ESPN

10:30 p.m. Oklahoma State at Oregon State » Fox Sports 1

WNBA

7:30 p.m. Connecticut at New York » NBA TV

TENNIS

Noon U.S. Open, third round » ESPN

6 p.m. U.S. Open, third round » ESPN2

GOLF

5:30 a.m. European Tour: European Masters, second round » Golf Channel

1 p.m. Korn Ferry Tour: Tour Championship, first round » Golf Channel

4 p.m. PGA Tour Champions: Shaw Charity Classic, first round » Golf Channel

6:30 p.m. LPGA Tour: Portland Classic, second round » Golf Channel

BY SCOTT ALLEN

After routing Indiana and New York

by 39 a nd 29 points, respectively, i n two

home games over the previous 10 days,

the Washington Mystics welcomed the

Los Angeles Sparks to D.C.'s

Entertainment and Sports Arena on

Tuesday for what figured to be a more

difficult challenge. Unlike the Fever

and Liberty, whose postseason hopes

are all but cooked, the Sparks arrived

with the third-best record in the

WNBA.

If the Mystics’ dominating 9 5-66

triumph was a playoff preview,

organizers might want to start

planning t he team’s f irst championship

parade.

“Hard to imagine a team beating

[the Mystics] in a playoff series,” WNBA

legend and ESPN analyst Rebecca Lobo

tweeted during Washington’s latest

blowout win. “One or two games? Sure.

But a series? Right now I don’t see it.”

It is hard to imagine anyone

knocking off the Mystics, especially

when you consider some of these

numbers from their historically

dominant regular season:

11.9

Average point differential for the

Mystics through 30 games, which

ranks as the third-best mark in league

history, according to ESPN, and the

highest since the Houston Comets

outscored their opponents by

12.8 points per game en route to

winning their fourth consecutive

WNBA title in 2000. The Las Vegas

Aces boast the second-best point

di fferential this year — it’s 3.3, which is

a lot less than 11.9. For comparison, the

Milwaukee Bucks led the NBA with an

8.8-point differential this season,

fo llowed by the Golden State Warriors

(6.5).

84

Percent of the time the Mystics win

the WNBA title in ESPN reporter Kevin

Pelton’s simulations, based on results

through Sunday’s games. Pelton notes

that of the teams responsible for the

seven highest average point

differentials in league history before

this season, six went on to win the

championship. “If the Mystics can win

the first WNBA championship in

franchise history, this year’s team has a

chance to go down as one of the

greatest in league history,” Pelton

wrote.

8

Mystics wins by at least 25 points, a

single-season WNBA record. That

includes a 43-point trouncing of

Connecticut, w hich is o ne game b ehind

Washington in the standings. The

Mystics also own the single-season

record for wins by at least 20 points,

with 13, which is four more than the

previous high. They have four more

regular season games to add to those

marks.

22

Wins in 30 games, which ties the

2010 and 2018 teams for the most in

franchise history. T he 2010 team lost in

the conference semifinals to Atlanta,

while last year’s squad lost to Seattle in

the WNBA Finals.

9.2

Three-pointers made per game by

the Mystics, the most b y any team since

at least 2003. Washington made a

WNBA-record 18 three-pointers in a

107 -68 win over Indiana on Aug. 18.

Led by Elena Delle Donne (18.8 points

per game), the Mystics are averaging

88.8 points, the most since the Phoenix

Mercury averaged 89 in 2011.

12-3

Record at home for Washington. The

Mystics are the only team in the league

with a winning record (10-5) on the

road, and they’re closing in on the top

seed and home-court advantage

throughout the playoffs.

Last season, the Mystics hosted

postseason games at George

Washington’s Smith Center and George

Mason’s EagleBank Arena. Now they

have a permanent home, where they

haven’t lost since July 13.

[email protected]

QUOTABLE

“Just kind of going to go

as a fan and watch the

game and enjoy it. I’ve

never really watched a

game from the stadium

from that view.”

JAY CUTLER,

former Bears QB who plans to attend

the Sept. 5 opener vs. the Packers.

D.C. SPORTS BOG

Mystics win the numbers game

COLLEGE FOOTBALL

BY MATT BONESTEEL

With Hurricane Dorian look-

ing increasingly likely to make

landfall somewhere along Flori-

da’s Atlantic coast over Labor

Day weekend, Florida State an-

nounced Thursday it will move

its season opener against Boise

State on Saturday to the Semi-

noles’ home stadium in Ta llahas-

see, about 160 miles inland from

the original site in Jacksonville.

“A fter consulting with emer-

gency responders, law enforce-

ment and hurricane prepared-

ness teams at the state and local

level, moving the game is the best

option given the information we

have at this time,” Florida State

Athletic Director David Coburn

said in a statement.

The game will be played at

noon Eastern and televised by

ESPNews (the original kickoff

time was 7 p.m.). General admis-

sion tickets are being sold for $10

on the S eminoles’ w ebsite, and all

tickets purchased for the game in

Jacksonville will be refunded.

The National Hurricane Cen-

ter is predicting Dorian will be-

come a Category 3 hurricane by

Friday morning and could be a

“catastrophic” Category 4 storm

by the time it makes landfall,

probably on Monday. And while

the exact landfall location re-

mains unclear as the storm

churns in the Atlantic, Florida

residents along the state’s east

coast — including in Jacksonville

— are being encouraged to pre-

pare for possibly dire conditions.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis de-

clared a state of emergency

Wednesday.

“Obviously we’re concerned

about fans attending this game if

we’re in the path of the storm,”

Nikki Kembleton, Jacksonville’s

director of public affairs, said

Thursday. “We’re very concerned

about the safety of fans leaving

the game or staying in Jackson-

ville for an extra day.”

Florida State’s grounds crew

was spotted painting the field at

Doak Campbell Stadium before

the move was announced Thurs-

day.

Moving the game to a later

date was not an option. Florida

State and Boise State do not have

a common bye week during the

regular season. Both teams could

be playing Dec. 7 when the ACC

and Mountain West hold their

conference championship

games.

In 2017, Hurricane Irma

caused Florida State to resched-

ule September games against Mi-

ami and Louisiana Monroe. It’s

also the fourth straight year a

hurricane has affected the col-

lege football season in general,

with games in Florida, Te xas,

South Carolina and North Caro-

lina moved, rescheduled or can-

celed.

Plus, Boise State’s bowl game

in December was canceled in the

first quarter because of lightning

and heavy rain in Dallas.

[email protected]

FSU moves

its game

because of

hurricane

BY JACOB BOGAGE

Police in Alabama on Thursday
issued an arrest warrant on do-
mestic violence charges for Los
Angeles Lakers center DeMarcus
Cousins.
The Mobile, Ala., municipal
court website lists a third-degree
harassing communications
charge against Cousins. USA To -
day first reported the charge.
A former girlfriend o f Cousins’s
told Mobile police the six-time
all-star threatened her in a phone
conversation over whether she
would allow their 7-year-old son
to attend Cousins’s wedding to
another woman.
The woman recorded the
phone call, which was obtained by
TMZ.
“I’m going to ask you this one
more time before I take it to an-
other level,” t he man in the phone
call says. “Can I have my s on here?
Can I have my son here, please?”
After the woman responds,
“No, he’s not coming,” the man
says, “I’m going to make sure I put
a bullet in your f------ head.”
The Washington Post generally
does not identify alleged victims
of domestic abuse. She previously
filed for a protective order against
Cousins. On the application, ob-
tained by Deadspin, the woman
claimed Cousins “choked me be-
fore.”
The charge against Cousins is a
Class A misdemeanor. If convict-
ed, he would face a maximum of
one year in prison.
“We are aware of the allegation
involving DeMarcus Cousins and,
of course, take this claim serious-
ly,” t he Lakers said in a statement
Tuesday. “We are in the process of
gathering information and will
reserve further comment at this
time.”
The NBA said it was investigat-
ing the allegations.
Cousins has played sparingly
over the past two years because of
injuries. In July, he signed a one-
year contract with the Lakers,
though he’s expected to miss the
upcoming season because of a
torn ACL suffered during a pickup
game this month.
[email protected]

Matt Bonesteel contributed to this
report.

PRO BASKETBALL

An arrest

warrant

is issued

for Cousins

TONI L. SANDYS/THE WASHINGTON POST

Elena Delle Donne (11) and the Mystics have won eight games by at least 25 points, a single-season WNBA record.

Team with best record

in the WNBA is bearing

down on its first title

washingtonpost.com/sports

TRACK AND FIELD

Lyles wins the 100 at

Diamond League finals

Noah Lyles surged late t o win
the m en’s 1 00 meters at t he
Diamond L eague finals Thursday
in Zurich, leaving world
champion Justin Gatlin in
fourth.
The 22-year-old, who attended
T.C. Williams High, f inished in
9.98 seconds.
Karsten Warholm ran the
second-fastest time i n history t o
win t he men’s 400-meter h urdles
in 46.92 seconds.
The 23-year-old world
champion from Norway took 0 .20
seconds off his lifetime b est but
was 0 .14 b ehind t he 27-year-old
world record set by Kevin Young
at t he 1 992 B arcelona Olympics.
Four world-leading marks
were set on a warm evening at t he
storied Weltklasse m eet, o ne
month before the world
championships open i n Doha,
Qatar.

PRO BASKETBALL
Brooklyn Nets forward Wilson
Chandler was suspended 25
games without pay by t he NBA for
testing positive f or Ipamorelin, a
drug that increases t he r elease of

growth h ormone.

The Nets s igned the v eteran

forward d uring their busy

offseason. He c ould play a

valuable role i n the absence o f

Kevin Durant, w ho is s till

recovering from a ruptured

Achilles’ tendon.

Chandler, a first-round pick o f

the New York Knicks in 2 007, has

averaged 12.9 points in

11 seasons....

Brittney Griner scored

21 p oints and the Phoenix

Mercury grabbed the final WNBA

playoff spot with a 65-58 victory

over the host Atlanta Dream....

Chelsea Gray scored a career-

high 30 points and tied a

franchise r ecord w ith s even

three-pointers, leading the L os

Angeles S parks to an 87-83 victory

over the Indiana Fever in

Indianapolis....

Arike Ogunbowale scored

eight of her 3 5 points in the

fourth quarter, and the Dallas

Wings snapped a four-game skid

with an 88-83 victory over t he

host Chicago Sky.

GOLF

To p-ranked Jin Young Ko

finally made a bogey, ending a

record r un of 114 consecutive

holes w ithout dropping a shot,

and f inished with a 4-under-par

68 in the o pening round of the

Portland C lassic in Oregon, f our

shots o ff t he lead.

Mi Jung Hur and Hannah

Green each shot an 8 -under 64 to

share t he lead....

Rory McIlroy shot a 3-under

67 on his return to the European

To ur, leaving the new FedEx Cup

winner f our s trokes behind

Matthias Schwab and Mike

Lorenzo-Vera after the first

round of the European Masters in

Crans-Montana, S witzerland.

SOCCER

Forward Alexis Sanchez

joined Inter Mila n on loan a fter

underperforming at Manchester

United.

The teams are expected t o both

pay a share o f Sanchez’s hefty

salary — the highest on United’s

squad. The Gazzetta dello Sport

reported that Inter w ill pay

Sanchez 5 million euros

($5.5 m illion) p er season, with

United c overing the remaining

7 million e uros....

UEFA’s player o f the year

awards went t o defenders, with

Liverpool’s Virgil van Dijk and

Lyon’s Lucy Bronze handed t he

accolade.

COLLEGES

Paul Bin scored i n the 107th

minute to lift the No. 1 Maryland

men’s s occer team t o a 3-2 win

over South Florida in the

Te rrapins’ opener i n College Park.

TENNIS

Andy Murray lost, 3-6, 6-4, 7-6

(7-6), to 240th-ranked Matteo

Viola in the third round of a

second-tier Challenger To ur

tournament hosted b y Rafael

Nadal’s t ennis academy i n

Mallorca, Spain.

Murray p layed only three

matches in the h ard-court

tournament that w as supposed t o

help in his comeback attempt

following hip s urgery in January.

— From news services

DIGEST

TONI L. SANDYS/THE WASHINGTON POST

Myisha Hines-Allen and the Mystics

are 12-3 at home in their first season

at Entertainment and Sports Arena.