This story was originally published by Dead Spin
The Washington Mystics love shooting threes. The Phoenix Mercury allow plenty of them.
Both squads will look to enter the WNBA’s month-long Olympic break on a positive note when they meet for a Tuesday matinee in Washington, D.C.
The Mystics (6-18) have relied on the 3-pointer more than any other WNBA team this season. They generate 36.9 percent of their points from threes, the league’s highest rate.
Coach Eric Thibault’s squad can hit them, too.
Washington drills 37.1 percent of its 3-point attempts, second-best in the league. Its 9.7 made triples per game rank third.
The Mystics had their most efficient day from deep on Sunday against the Las Vegas Aces, hitting 12-of-21 (season-high 57.1 percent) in an 89-77 home loss.
Ariel Atkins hit six of those and finished with a career-high 36 points for Washington, while Julie Vanloo eclipsed Atkins for the most made threes in a season by a Mystics rookie.
“I’m surprised — I didn’t expect it,” Vanloo said of her record, per The Washington Post.
The 31-year-old has 47 treys in her first WNBA season after playing professionally in Turkey.
“I feel like I’m not even shooting very well, to be honest,” Vanloo added. “I feel like I can shoot way better than I have been.”
Vanloo will have a favorable opportunity to improve on Tuesday against the Mercury (12-12), who allow the most made threes (nine) and the most 3-point attempts per game (26.6).
Phoenix was torched on Sunday by the Connecticut Sun’s Rachel Banham, who set a WNBA record by making eight 3-pointers off the bench.
Connecticut cruised to a 27-point win and sent the Mercury to a second straight loss. Phoenix allowed at least 95 points in both of those defeats.
The Mercury surrendered 16 offensive rebounds and 25 second-chance points on Sunday, prolonging their struggles with finishing possessions.
Phoenix allows 9.5 offensive boards and 12.1 second-chance points per game, both second-most in the league.
“As a defensive player, when you do a hell of a job and then you don’t get the rebound, it’s just a blow,” guard Sophie Cunningham said.
“And when you have one after another, it’s just deflating down the stretch.”
Cunningham scored 13 points off the bench in the Mercury’s 83-80 home win over Washington on May 23.
–Field Level Media
