D2 EZ SU THE WASHINGTON POST.MONDAY, AUGUST 19 , 2019
Kristi Toliver (right knee contu-
sion) are out.
“Like I said at the beginning of
the season, we’re a versatile team
from top to bottom,” Atkins said.
“There’s not one thing that any-
body can’t do.... We’re just bal-
anced. It’s extremely fun to play
on a team like that. Got to find a
way to guard us.”
But even Atkins wasn’t quite
aware of just how dominant the
Mystics were from deep.
“Threes? Six threes in a row?”
Atkins asked of the third-quarter
blitz. “Oh. Dang. Well, they’re a
team that packs the paint, so it
ends up having people open on
the backside, and — got to knock
down the shot. We did that today.
We shot well today.”
Delle Donne led the team with
25 points on 7-for-10 shooting.
She missed just one of her four
three-point attempts and had a
team-high nine rebounds as well
as four assists as she continues
her MVP-type campaign. Atkins
had 14, and Powers, playing in
Toliver’s place in the starting line-
up, added 19. Every active Mystics
player scored.
Washington has a bit of a break
before games at Chicago on Fri-
day and at home against New
York on Sunday.
Meanwhile, the WNBA playoff
picture should continue to take
shape. Second-place Connecticut
(19-8) clinched its playoff berth
with a 78-68 win over the Dallas
Wings on Sunday, while the Mys-
tics’ win dropped ninth-place In-
diana (9-17) even further behind
eighth-place Phoenix (12-13),
which would be the last team
through to the postseason if the
regular season ended Sunday.
But for now, none of that is the
Mystics’ concern.
“When you shoot 39 threes,
make 18 of them and you have
30 assists for the game, Coach has
to be pretty happy,” Thibault said.
“They’ve earned their couple days
off.”
[email protected]league record books, both be-
cause it’s 30-year-old Peddy’s first
year in the WNBA after many
attempts to make it onto a roster
and because she symbolizes the
team’s depth. Peddy joined the
Mystics franchise as a replace-
ment player when Emma Meesse-
man went overseas, was appoint-
ed to the coaching staff when
Meesseman returned and is play-
ing for Washington on a seven-
day contract while both Kiara
Leslie (left knee surgery) andrecord? Oh, it was? Well, see, I’m
on that roster, so I’m a part of that
anyway.”
There were plenty of three-
pointers to go around without
Sanders taking a shot.
Atkins and Powers had a team-
high four apiece, but it was Shey
Peddy who broke the record with
81 seconds remaining when she
let a long ball fly from 28 feet out.
Both Powers and Atkins
thought Peddy was the perfect
person to enter the Mystics intofrom Atkins.
Natasha Cloud then interrupt-
ed the streak with a pesky layup
before Shatori Walker-Kim-
brough got things back on track
with another deep ball. After that,
the Mystics (20-7) played as if
they had unlocked a cheat code in
a video game. Washington’s 36-
point outburst in the third was a
season high for a quarter.
“Might as well. Why not?” Mys-
tics Coach-General Manager
Mike Thibault said after learning
his team had set the record. “We
just told LaToya [Sanders] she
had a tough day because she’s the
only one on our team who didn’t
take a three. You know, the world
looks really good when you’re
making shots.”
Washington shot 48.7 percent
from the field, including
46.2 percent (18 for 39) from
three, and recorded 30 assists,
including eight from Cloud.
Sanders was indeed the only
player on the roster who didn’t
attempt a deep ball; the center
has taken two threes in her seven-
year WNBA career (making one)
and so ardently loathes shooting
from deep that she doesn’t even
participate when the team shoots
half-court shots for money at the
end of every practice.
She and Kim Mestdagh, a re-
serve guard who played just over
six minutes, were the only players
on the roster not to make a three.
“[Thibault] didn’t even have to
say it. The first thing he said when
he came in the locker room was
‘[LaToya], we need to change your
game a little bit.’ I already knew
what he was talking about — I am
not shooting no threes,” Sanders
said, laughing and punctuating
her statement with shakes of her
head. “I’ll let everybody else have
that. It’s just not something I like
doing.... They’re always like,
‘Oh, but you’re so close!’ I know.
But that little half step changes
everything. I’m okay. Was it aMYSTICS FROM D1TELEVISION AND RADIO
MLB
7 p.m. Washington at Pittsburgh » MASN, WJFK (106.7 FM), WFED (1500 AM)
7 p.m. Kansas City at Baltimore » MASN2, WTEM (980 AM)
7:30 p.m. Milwaukee at St. Louis » MLB Network
NFL PRESEASON
8 p.m. San Francisco at Denver » ESPN
TENNIS
10 a.m. WTA: Bronx Open, early rounds » Tennis Channel
3 p.m. ATP: Winston-Salem Open, early rounds » Tennis Channel
7 p.m. ATP: Winston-Salem Open, early rounds » Tennis Channel
YOUTH BASEBALL
11 a.m. Little League World Series, consolation game: Sydney
vs. Bowling Green (Ky.) » ESPN
1 p.m. Little League World Series, completion of suspended game:
Wailuku (Hawaii) vs. Elizabeth (N.J.) » ESPN
3 p.m. Little League World Series, elimination game: Maracaibo (Venezuela)
vs. Guadalupe (Mexico) » ESPN
4 p.m. American Legion World Series, semifinal: Destrehan (La.) vs. TBD » ESPNU
4 p.m. Little League World Series, elimination game: Coquitlam
(British Columbia) vs. Willemstad (Curaçao) » ESPN 2
7 p.m. American Legion World Series, semifinal: Danville (Ill.) vs. TBD » ESPNU
8 p.m. Little League World Series, elimination game: River Ridge (La.)
vs. Coon Rapids (Minn.) » ESPN 2
SOCCER
1 p.m. Turkish Super Lig: Gazisehir at Fenerbahce » beIN Sports
3 p.m. English Premier League: Manchester United at Wolverhampton »
NBC Sports Network
Our first — and last — annual Olive Branch Guide to College Football in 14 steps
College football is
a thoroughly
corrupt,
shameful,
depraved,
ignoble, wicked,
appalling,
inexcusable, indefensible,
unjust, unscrupulous,
unprincipled, amoral,
loathsome, hypocritical, warped,
egregious, appalling,
reprehensible and foul exercise
in American power, greed and
excess.
But, you know, to get along
you have to go along, so, in that
spirit, Couch Slouch thought we
might briefly celebrate our
republic’s autumn Saturday
passion.
Roll Tide Roll!
Thus, here it is — our first
(and last) annual Olive Branch
Guide to College Football in 14
Easy Steps:
- Central Michigan was just
1-11 in 2018, but with new coach
Jim McElwain, the return of
injured running back Jonathan
Ward and an energized punt-
coverage team, I suspect the
Chippewas can improve to 3-9
this season.- There are 130 schools in the
Football Bowl Subdivision. Best
I can tell, at least 101 of them
have no chance of ever making
the four-team College Football
Playoff, and 127 of them
probably have no chance of
playing for the national
championship. This is vaguely
reminiscent of the 1986
presidential election in the
Philippines in which Ferdinand
Marcos won in a landslide. - Let’s say Boise State goes
12-0 this season. This would give
the Broncos, oh, about a
1.3 percent chance of making
the College Football Playoff
because they are not in the
Power Five but in the Group of
Five. For casual readers
unaware of this distinction, the
Power Five is like the Kennedy
compound and the Group of
Five is like a prison compound. - Why do they keep
interviewing Jim Harbaugh?
What, suddenly the Michigan
coach is Winston Churchill in a
visor? I could have sworn I
heard Harbaugh asked about
Brexit last week.- Recently, on comedian Jeff
Cesario’s hilarious weekly
podcast, “Play With Pain!”,
sportscaster Chet Waterhouse
asked me who was the worst
coach in the Big Ten. Well, if you
are a Big Ten first-year honcho
with a career record of 3-31, I
have to believe — by definition
— you are the worst coach in the
conference. Maryland’s Michael
Locksley, come on down!!! - That naturally leads to the
question, “Who’s the worst
coach in the Pac-12?” Let’s talk
about the University of
Southern California. The
Trojans have, like, 250
scholarships — they actually
enroll football players as
gymnasts and put them in pads
every week — and they were 5-7
last season. Guilty as charged:
Clay Helton. P.S. Little-known
fact: O.J. Simpson went to USC
on a women’s soccer
scholarship.- I hate the Southeastern
Conference like anthills hate
rainstorms. - Do you have any idea how
many Secret Service agents
protect the president of the
United States when he gives a
speech? Probably 75. Do you
have any idea how many state
troopers jog off the field
surrounding Alabama Coach
Nick Saban at the end of a
game? Probably 77. Then again,
Saban usually has a better year
than POTUS. - Les Miles is back — identify
the emergency exit closest to
you. - Notre Dame reminds me
of the only barbecue joint in
southern Utah that proclaims
“best ribs anywhere,” then goes
to a national competition
against barbecue joints from
North Carolina, Texas, St. Louis,
Kansas City and Memphis and
finishes 13th. - I would root for a swarm of
Starbucks-bound locusts
dedicated to wiping out all
human life before I would root
for Alabama. - TCU kicker Cole Bunce is
out indefinitely after a
motorized scooter accident. “I
don’t think he’ll be able to play
the rest of the year,” Coach Gary
Patterson said. “Sometimes you
have luck, and sometimes you
have no luck at all.” And
sometimes you should just take
the bus. - Clemson is scheduled to
play Alabama for the national
title at the Superdome in New
Orleans on Jan. 13, 2020. - Urban Meyer has joined
FS1’s college football studio
show in the role, I believe, of
ethics and morality analyst.
Ask The Slouch
Q. Olympic NBA players are
dropping like flies. How soon
before they turn to your Stepson
of Destiny, Isaiah Eisendorf?
(Chuck Smith; Woodbridge)A. Isaiah is about to start his
second season playing pro
basketball in Israel, plus — like
me — he doesn’t have time for a
lot of extracurricular stuff
because he sleeps in most
mornings.
Q. If Bryce Harper can be
paid $330 million over 13 years
for mediocre performance,
shouldn’t you be making the
same? (Kim Hemphill; South
Riding, Va.)
A. I see no need to sideswipe
an underpaid, underappreciated
sports columnist when getting
snarky about Bryce Harper.
Q. In a song last year, Jay-Z
told the NFL, “You need me, I
don’t need you.” Was that hip-
hop-crisy, or just a job
application? (Mark Pattison;
Washington)
A. Pay the man, Shirley.You, too, can enter the $1.25 Ask
The Slouch Cash Giveaway. Just
email [email protected], and if
your question is used, you win $1.25
in cash!Couch
Slouch
NORMAN
CHAD
TENNIS
Keys, Medvedev win
at U.S. Open warmup
Madison Keys rallied late in
both sets to beat Svetlana
Kuznetsova, 7-5, 7-6 (7-5), for her
first Cincinnati championship
Sunday in Mason, Ohio, sending
her to the U.S. Open with
momentum.
By winning her first hard-
court final since the 2017 U.S.
Open, she will be No. 10 when
she returns to New York next
week. Keys had lost early in her
previous three tournaments.
Kuznetsova, 34, was the oldest
finalist in Western & Southern
Open history.
On the men’s side, Daniil
Medvedev beat David Goffin, 7-6
(7-3), 6-4, for his first Masters
1000 title. At 23, he is the
youngest Cincinnati champion
since Andy Murray (21 in 2008).
AUTO RACING
Will Power won at Pocono
Raceway in Long Pond, Pa.,
making this the 13th straight
season he has won an IndyCar
event.
The race was called with
72 laps left because of lightning
and severe weather. Power was
in the right place to prevail after
a horrific wreck collected five
drivers on the first lap and sent
Chip Ganassi Racing driver Felix
Rosenqvist to the hospital....
Leah Pritchett ended a long
winless streak at the NHRA
event at Minnesota’s Brainerd
International Raceway. Pritchett
beat Mike Salinas with a 4.066-
second run at 235.72 mph for her
eighth Top Fuel title.
SOCCER
Frank Lampard emerged to
rapturous applause from Chelsea
fans and a giant banner at one
end of Stamford Bridge that read
“Welcome Home Super Frank.”
But he couldn’t mark his
homecoming with a win.
Lampard’s winless run as
manager reached three matches
after Leicester rallied to earn a
1-1 draw in English Premier
League play in London.
Mason Mount scored in the
seventh minute for Chelsea
before Wilfred Ndidi equalized
in the 67th....
Sheffield United remained
unbeaten with a 1-0 win over
visiting Crystal Palace on a goal
from John Lundstram....
Former England defender
Ashley Cole is planning a move
into coaching after announcing
his retirement. Cole won 13
major titles during his 20-year
career, including the 2012
Champions League with Chelsea,
three Premier League titles and
seven FA Cups. The 38-year-old
announced his retirement while
working as an analyst for British
broadcaster Sky Sports....
Atlético Madrid started with a
win in the Spanish league by
edging visiting Getafe, 1-0, on a
goal by Álvaro Morata....
Still missing Neymar,
defending champion Paris Saint-
Germain lost, 2-1, at Rennes in
the French league.PRO BASKETBALL
Courtney Williams scored
18 points as the Connecticut Sun
beat the Dallas Wings, 78-68, to
clinch a WNBA playoff berth....
A’ja Wilson returned after
missing nine games with an
ankle injury to score 25 points as
the Las Vegas Aces beat the host
Chicago Sky, 100-85, and
clinched a playoff berth....
DeWanna Bonner scored
30 points to power the Phoenix
Mercury to a 78-72 victory over
the visiting New York Liberty,
which has lost eight in a row....
Jordin Canada scored
14 points as the host Seattle
Storm never trailed in an 82-74
victory over the Minnesota Lynx.MISC.
Ben Hermans finished near
the front during the final stage of
cycling’s Tour of Utah, allowing
him to wrap up the overall title.
Northern Virginia’s Joe
Dombrowski, who finished third
overall, won the finale — an
83-mile trek that began and
ended in Park City — with
24 seconds to spare over a chase
group led by João Almeida....
Jamie Newman will begin the
season as Wake Forest’s starting
quarterback. Coach Dave
Clawson picked the fourth-year
junior over sophomore Sam
Hartman.
Hartman started the first nine
games of 2018 before suffering a
season-ending leg injury.
Newman took over and led the
Demon Deacons to an upset of
N.C. State and a Birmingham
Bowl victory over Memphis....
Jack Whitaker, whose Hall of
Fame broadcasting career
ranged from the first Super Bowl
to Secretariat’s Triple Crown to
short essays from major sporting
events, died Sunday, CBS
reported. The network said he
died of natural causes in his
sleep in Devon, Pa. He was 95.
— From news servicesDIGESTSoccer Insider
Steven Goff is away. The weekly
package will resume in September
when he returns.Mystics set three-point record in a rout
TONI L. SANDYS/THE WASHINGTON POST
Aerial Powers made four of the Mystics’ 18 three-pointers against the Fever, including two during a stretch of six in a row by Washington.TONI L. SANDYS/THE WASHINGTON POST
Elena Delle Donne continued her MVP-level play by posting
25 points on 7-for-10 shooting with nine rebounds and four assists.