Seattle look to stay in playoff hunt, avoid season sweep against Mystics

The Seattle Storm have stayed in the playoff hunt after a rough stretch, but keeping it going while amid a string of road games won't be easy.

The Storm try to bolster their status again when visiting the Washington Mystics on Sunday afternoon.

"It's important, especially in a stretch like this," Seattle coach Noelle Quinn said. "On the road. With a lot of games, not a lot of days in between to kind of rest and recover."

The Storm (19-18) has won three of its last four games, including the first two stops on a five-game road swing.

"I think the group understands the sense of urgency we have to have," Quinn said. "This stretch we've had a lot of good production from a lot of different places."

Seattle trounced host Dallas the last time out 95-60 behind rookie Dominique Malonga's 22 points. With 62 points scored by reserves, the Storm set a single-game franchise record for bench points.

"The hot hand could be anyone," Quinn said. "It's going to be a team effort. I think right now we're finding ways to be ‘one,' starting with our defense."

Malonga is the first Seattle player with three games of 20 or more points off the bench in the same season.

"She works on it, she reps it," Quinn said of Malonga's variety of scoring methods. "She has a natural feel for the things you're seeing."

The Mystics (16-21) are on a three-game losing streak after Saturday afternoon's 91-81 home loss to the Las Vegas Aces.

Washington's Kiki Iriafen's 21 points Saturday ended a stretch when Sonia Citron had been the team's leading scorer in five straight games. Iriafen has a 10-game string as the top rebounder for the Mystics. She pulled down a game-high 15 on Saturday.

"Regardless of how the game outcome was, I think I learned a lot," Iriafen said.

Coach Sydney Johnson altered his Mystics' starting lineup by giving Alysha Clark the start Saturday.

"Just in terms of her leadership, her IQ, she's just a really versatile and giving player," Johnson said. "I was going to make a move at some point."

Washington won both previous games against the Storm, prevailing 74-69 and 69-58 last month.

--Field Level Media