Mystics fall to Storm, trail 0-2 in Finals

Breanna Stewart scored nine of her 25 points in the fourth quarter, and the Seattle Storm held off the Washington Mystics, 75-73, on Sunday to take a 2-0 lead in the WNBA Finals. Seattle will head to Washington for Game 3 on Wednesday night needing only a split back east to claim the third title in franchise history. Stewart went nearly 18 minutes of game time without scoring, but was responsible for six of Seattle’s final seven points as the Storm held off Washington’s late rally. Seattle led 70-65 after Stewart’s hook in the lane with 4:25 left, and wasthe Storm’s last field goal. Washington’s Kristi Toliver ( Maryland) made two difficult jumpers in the final 90 seconds to keep Washington within one, but the Mystics were unable to get a shot up on their next possession trailing 74-73, whenToliver lost the ball going baseline and a madscramble led to a jumpball Seattle won. The ensuing jump ball between Natasha Howard and Tianna Hawkins (Maryland) ended up in the hands of Jewell Loyd. Seattle was able to run seven seconds off the clock before Alysha Clark was fouled and her free throw gave Seattle a two-point lead. Washington was out of timeouts and couldn’t advance the ball into the front court. Elena Delle Donneledthe Mystics with17 points but was scoreless in the fourth quarter, taking just one shot. “I think wefell in love too muchwithme getting the ball on the block. I’m more than just a back-to-the-basket type of player. Playing in space opens up my teammates, also opens myself up,” Delle Donne said. “We’ve got to find a way to not become one-dimensional and just try to force it in.” Toliver and Ariel Atkins both added 15 points for Washington. But the Mystics missed all 16 3-point attempts. Park. His procedure will be performed at MedStar Union Memorial Hospital in Baltimore. “I’m doing OK. My spirits are up and I’m trying to stay positive,” Hamilton said. “We’ll just have to see how we come out of [the surgery] before I can say anything else. We’re just trying to address it and meet it head onandgofromthere. I’m very thankful for all the support everyone has shown me.” Earlier this summer, doctors found three small tumors at the bottom of Hamilton’s spine that was causing persistent back pain, said agent Ben Feliciano Sr. Initially, Hamilton was receiving injections in the area in an effort to dissolve the tumors. “Hamilton returned Sept. 8 from a trip to his native Oklahoma to visit family. He is in the third phase of his riding career, which began in 1990. He retired in 2000 to help raise his two young boys, returning in 2004. He stepped aside again in 2006 following a serious automobile accident, embarking on his latest comeback in August 2016. MORE HORSE RACING: Live racing returns to Laurel Park with 10 races Friday. First race post time is 1:10 p.m. Highlighting the card are $40,000 maiden special weights going 5 ½ furlongs for 2-year-olds in Race 2 and six furlongs for 3-yearolds and up in Race 4; $42,000 entry-level allowance races for 3-year-olds and up in Races 7 and 9; and a $42,000 optional claiming allowance for 2-year-old fillies in Race 8. All three races will be contested at 6 furlongs. WOMEN’S COLLEGE SOCCER: Sarah Bayer scored in the 52nd minute to give visiting Loyola Maryland (2-4) a 1-0 victory over Mount St. Mary’s (1-5). Loyola goalkeeper Sumer Rahe made one save to earn the shutout. MEN’S COLLEGE SOCCER: Nate Charendoff scored the winning goal in the 65th minute to lift host Johns Hopkins (4-1) to a 2-1victory over12thranked Drew (3-2). Alejandro Maclean also scored in the 31st minute for the Blue Jays. COLLEGE FIELD HOCKEY: No. 3 Maryland earned a 3-1 win over No. 17 Harvard (3-1) in the 22nd annual Terrapin Invitational. The Terps won their seventh straight game and fourth consecutive over a top-20opponent. At 7-0, Maryland is off to its best start since 2013, when it started the season 15-0. WOMEN’S COLLEGE VOLLEYBALL: Maryland totaled 10 team blocks, led by five apiece from the duo of redshirt sophomore middle blocker Katie Myers and sophomore outside hitter Erika Pritchard in a three-set victory (25-19, 25-21, 2522) win over Liberty. —