Toliver, Cloud find their touch
Top Mystics guards helped force decisive Game 5
WASHINGTON — Kristi Toliver didn’t need to be reminded about her shooting slump through the WNBA semifinals. Her statistics through the first three games weren’t pretty, and she knew it. The same was true for the other Washington Mystics starting guard, Natasha Cloud, who had missed14 of 21 shot attempts over the stretch.
While Cloud counted on all the hours of her hard work to finally kick in, Toliver leaned on a mentor’s wisdom.
“You’re either hot or you’re due,” Toliver remembered ahead of Sunday’s must-win Game 4 against the Atlanta Dream.
“Obviously, I knew I wasn’t hot, so I knew it was coming, and that’s what shooters do,” said the former Terps star, who led all scorers with 22 points in the Mystics’ win. “You’re ready. You’re ready for the moment, especially win or go home. You have to show up.”
In a game overshadowed by Elena Delle Donne’s dramatic return from a bone bruise to her left knee, the Mystics’ backcourt still shined while combining for 35 of Washington’s 97 points. Even more, both guards shot efficiently while mixing in aggressive play with timely 3pointers.
Together, Toliver and Cloud made 13 of 26 shots from the floor and knocked down six 3s as Washington tied the series and forced a decisive Game 5 in Atlanta tonight.
For the backcourt, the breakout moment came just in time.
“It’s huge for our confidence moving forward,” said Cloud, who transferred from Maryland to St. Joseph’s after her freshman year. “It’s rough when you are in a little bit of a shooting slump and your team is depending on you, especially with Elena being out on Friday. But you know, it’s part of the game.”
Although Cloud (13 points on 5-for-10 shooting) committed six of the team’s 12 turnovers, she covered up those mistakes by powering the Mystics’ early third-quarter run that built a 16-point lead over the Dream.
“Natasha struggled in some areas,” Mystics coach Mike Thibault said, “but then she turns around and makes two big [threes] when the game got close again.”
Before Sunday, Cloud had made four of eight attempts from the 3-point arc but couldn’t find the same success within the perimeter.
“We’re going to have our ups and we’re going to have our downs, off days and good days,” Cloud said of her overall 7-of-21 mark in the previous three matchups against the Dream.
“But it’s sticking to who we are and trusting in our process and how much work we put in and just getting reps up,” Cloud continued. “Repping it out until one eventually drops.”
Toliver, a normally reliable 3-point shooter who shot 36 percent in the season, was only 4-for-21 entering the Sunday matchup.
“I don’t really read the paper or watch anything, so I didn’t know I was 4 for 21,” Toliver responded when asked about the numbers.
Toliver did know, however, that she was due.
In a sequence indicative of the backcourt’s improvement, Toliver drained her first 3-pointer at the 6:28 mark of the first quarter. Then on the next play, Cloud stole a pass and raced downcourt to scoop in a layup while getting fouled. Semifinals Game 5, best of five Tonight, 8 TV: ESPN2