ARLINGTON, Texas — Elena Delle Donne scored 29 points, Emma Meesseman added 19 points, seven rebounds, seven assists and four blocks, and the Washington Mystics beat the Dallas Wings 91-85 on Saturday night.
Washington remained in first place in the standings, set a franchise record winning its 23rd game of the season and clinched a top-2 seed in the WNBA playoffs, which begin Sept. 11. The top two seeds earn first- and second-round byes into the semifinals.
Natasha Cloud and Shatori Walker-Kimbrough scored 13 points apiece and LaToya Sanders added 12 points and a season-high 11 rebounds for the Mystics (23-8). Washington has won three games in a row and 14 of its last 16.
Delle Donne and Meesseman hit back-to-back 3-pointers to spark an 11-0 run that gave Washington nine-point lead when Meesseman’s three-point play capped the spurt with 5:39 left in the first quarter. The Wings scored 13 of the next 18 points to cut their deficit to 23-21 about 2 ½ minutes later but Delle Donne answered with a 3-point play and Dallas got no closer.
Arike Ogunbowale scored 30 points, Glory Johnson tied her season high with 20 points and Allisha Gray added 14 for Dallas (10-21). Ogunbowale, who scored 35 in a win over Chicago on Thursday, extended her WNBA rookie record to eight consecutive games with at least 20 points.
The Mystics used a 9-0 run to make it 80-57 - their biggest lead of the game - late in the third quarter. Dallas scored 24 of the next 30 points to pull within six with 90 seconds left.
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