Monique Currie breathed a sigh of relief. The seven-year Mystics forward recently found herself in a reserve role for the first time in her career and spent the past six games coming off the bench.
But Sunday against the Phoenix Mercury, Currie was back where she always felt she belonged — in the starting lineup. Currie, perhaps more than any other player in a Washington uniform, needed a win.
The Mystics came through, winning 90-77 at Verizon Center to snap a five-game losing streak.
All-Star Crystal Langhorne led the way for the Mystics, scoring 22 points, and Noelle Quinn added 18. Charde Houston paced Phoenix with 24 points, and three-time Sixth Woman of the Year DeWanna Bonner added 20.
Currie, though, scored just two points on 1-of-5 shooting from the floor and spent most of the fourth quarter on the bench. She returned for the final two minutes with the game out of reach.
No one was breathing easy when Shannon Bobbitt, the recently acquired point guard who was with the Indiana Fever earlier this season, fell hard in with 8:02 left in the game. Bobbitt spent several minutes face down on the court before being helped off by a trainer.
Bobbitt left the floor holding her head and spent the rest of the game on the bench. Bobbitt scored just five points but has been a spark plug running the point while playing starter’s minutes.
The Mercury were without superstar Diana Taurasi ( strained hip flexor), Penny Taylor (ACL) and Candice Dupree (left knee contusion). The Mystics were missing Natasha Lacy (concussion-like symptoms).
Washington (3-10) took advantage of the holes in the Mercury’s lineup and got off to a blistering start, putting up season-highs for first quarter-points (27) and first-half points (50).
By contrast, the Mercury struggled offensively, with just 41 points by halftime, and shooting under 40 percent to the Mystics 51.5.
The Mystics cooled a bit in the third quarter, with both teams scoring 19 points and led 69-60 at the start of the fourth quarter.
Despite the loss of Bobbitt, the Mystics managed to hold off the Mercury in the fourth quarter, and picked up the much-needed win.
• Carla Peay can be reached at cpeay@washingtontimes.com.
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