Verizon Center was rocking tonight, but the fans that came to tonight's WNBA Playoffs opener went home disappointed. Their Washington Mystics fell 95-90 to the Atlanta Dream in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals, and now face an elimination game Friday night in Atlanta.
Angel McCoughtry scored 28 points to lead the Dream, who led by double figures for most of the second and third quarters. The Mystics made a run to close to within two late in the fourth quarter, but their defense, as it had all game, let them down in the closing minutes.
Marissa Coleman led the Mystics with 18 points off the bench, while Matee Ajavon added 16 points. Crystal Langhorne and Monique Currie, the team's leading scorers in the regular season, were held to just 24 points combined on 7-22 shooting.