WNBA: Detroit defies Mystics

WASHINGTON – Katie Smith scored 21 points and the Detroit Shock used their trademark defense to defeat the Washington Mystics 76-64 Saturday.

Plenette Pierson added 18 points and Kara Braxton had 15 points for the Shock, who rebounded from a loss Thursday to Chicago that snapped a seven-game winning streak. Swin Cash had 10 rebounds for the Shock, who outrebounded the Mystics 49-20.

DeLisha Milton-Jones had 17 points to lead the Mystics, who had won eight of 11 before the loss and have dropped three of four to the Shock this season. Nakia Sanford added 11 points and Alana Beard, the league’s fourth leading scorer, had 10 points on a 3-for-15 effort from the field.

The Shock, who had been holding rivals to a league-low 40 percent from the floor, limited the Mystics to 33 percent.

The Mystics led 22-16 after the first quarter, but went through a 2-for-24 stretch midway through the game and were outscored 21-6 in the second quarter.

Tied at 25 with less than 5 minutes left in the second quarter, the Shock closed the half on a 12-3 run and opened the third by scoring 11 of the next 15 points to lead 48-32. They led by as many as 24 points before the Mystics rallied in the fourth quarter to cut the lead to 73-64 during the final minute.

Both teams struggled to score in the first half, but the Mystics missed their first 15 shots in the second quarter and trailed 37-28 at the half.