Elena Delle Donne plays through injury to move Mystics one win from WNBA title
Elena Delle Donne put forth a gutsy effort, playing through a back injury, and Washington beat the Connecticut Sun 94-81 on Sunday to move within a victory of winning the franchise’s first title. The league’s MVP has a herniated disk that is pinching a nerve in her back and was questionable to play in Game 3. She finished with 13 points, hitting five of her six shots and played 26 minutes.
“I just want to be a leader for this team. I love them. I did nothing, I was just on the court, they carried me and they’ve done that all season long,” Delle Donne said. “I love them to death. We have one more to go.”
She was clearly limited in her movement and stayed mostly on the perimeter, but was effective enough to command the attention of Connecticut’s defense. “It was tough. This is tough. This is not something I expected,” Delle Donne said of the injury. “It is what it is. You’re dealt the cards and you have to go out and play.”
Delle Donne provided an emotional lift for her team and Emma Meesseman and Kristi Toliver carried the offense. Meesseman had 21 points, including nine to start the fourth quarter, and Toliver added 20 points and 10 assists. Washington will try and close out the series on Tuesday night in Connecticut. Delle Donne hit an early three-pointer and the Mystics made six of their nine shots from behind the arc in the first quarter to take a 32-17 lead after 10 minutes.
Washington, who were 16-for-27 on threes, led by as many as 17 points in the first half. It was 37-23 before the Sun went on a 16-4 run and Washington led 43-39 at the break. Jonquel Jones converted a three-point play to open the third quarter and cut the lead to one,
but that was as close as Connecticut would get.
They trailed by two when Delle Donne hit a three-pointer from the left wing to make it 58-53. The Mystics took a 68-57 lead into the fourth quarter and stretched that to 18 before a final run by the Sun that Delle Donne ended with a tough layup.
Shekinna Stricklen and Jasmine Thomas each had 16 points for the Sun. Jones, who scored 32 points and grabbed 18 rebounds in Connecticut’s Game 2 win, scored just nine points to go with her nine boards.