Sun, now down to seven players, can’t keep pace with Mystics

Washington — The games are dwindling for the Connecticut Sun and so are the healthy bodies.

In an 82- 56 loss at Washington on Friday night, the Sun (9-24) had just seven available players after it was announced shortly before tipoff that Tan White would miss the game because of a broken finger on her left hand suffered in a win this week over Atlanta.

White had averaged 16.6 points as the Sun won two out of the last three with an eight- player roster. Prior to Friday night, seven Connecticut players missed a total of 67 games due to injury. Whether White will play in Sunday’s finale against Indiana is a game-time decision.

Ivory Latta led four Washington ( 15- 17) players in double figures with 19 points, including 5 of 7 from 3-point range. Monique Currie (13 points) and Tayler Hill ( 16 points) combined for another seven 3s for the playoff-bound Mystics, who shot 70.6 percent ( 12 of 17) from long range.

“They shot the ball from the 3-point line better,” said coach Anne Donovan, whose Sun beat Washington 77-70 last week. “That was the adjustment that I saw.”

Mistie Bass led the Sun with 13 points and six rebounds while Sydney Carter had a career- high 11 points. Iziane Castro Marques had 10 points and Kayla Pedersen led the Sun with seven rebounds.

Trailing by 15 at the half, the Sun held Washington scoreless through the first three minutes of the third quarter but missed a chance to capitalize by making just two of eight shots from the field while getting within 42-31.

Still, a put- back by Bass cut the deficit to 47-37 with 3:43 left in the third quarter. And just over a minute later, Carter made it 48-41, hitting a 3 with 2:16 left in the quarter.

But Latta answered with a wide open 3- pointer to push the lead back to 10, establishing a pattern that would play out throughout the second half. The last time the Sun got the deficit under 10, on a Pedersen layup 50 seconds into the fourth quarter, Hill answered with a 3 that pushed the Washington advantage back to 59-47.

Connecticut was unable to mount another serious threat.

“I think having seven bodies has a lot to do with why we weren’t able to overcome ( Washington) in the fourth quarter,” Donovan said. “We stayed with them until early in the fourth quarter and then it got away from us. That’s where fatigue sets in and clearly that was the difference.”

The game began to get away from Connecticut after a difficult bank shot in traffic by Castro Marques pulled the Sun within 23- 17 with 7: 32 left in the half. Washington responded with a 13-2 run over the next four minutes to extend the lead to 36-19.

Connecticut could not contain the Mystics, who made six of their first seven 3-point attempts while pushing the lead to 42-24.

The Sun, who missed nine of their first 11 attempts from the field in the second quarter, got a late three by Castro Marques to make it 42-27 at the half.

The Sun, owners of the WNBA’s worst record, close out the season at Mohegan Sun Arena at 1 p.m. Sunday against the Indiana Fever.