OMG, What A Win! The Mystics returned to the Phone Booth tonight after a successful and exciting road trip to play the defending WNBA Champion Detroit Shock. After the Mystics had outscored the Shock, 17-13, in the first quarter, it certainly looked like the Mystics had, indeed, brought their uptempo road-offense home to Verizon Center. But, as every player and fan knows, a game isn't won in a single quarter; unfortunately, for most of the evening, it looked to the Mystics' fans that it actually could be lost in one. The Mystics committed 10 turnovers and scored only 7 points (ouch!) in the 2nd quarter, while Detroit, largely due to an impressive shooting night by Deanna Nolan (26 points), racked up 27 in that 10 minute period to take a 16-point lead into the locker room. We swear we heard the Fat Lady warming up her voice in the tunnel.

But just as Maryland's Crystal Langhorne and her USA U21 Basketball teammates fought back this morning from a 16-point deficit to post a win against Australia, DeLisha Milton-Jones and Alana Beard (both members of the last USA Basketball Senior women's team) held the Mystics together in the second half, outscoring the Shock by 2 in the 3rd, and then, just when Detroit thought they had it won, Alana, Dee and their teammates put on a ferocious offensive charge, clamped down on the defensive end, and tied it all up with a monster drive inside by AB, who scored and was fouled. AB sank the free throw, giving the Mystics a one-point lead with a mere 13 seconds remaining! The crowd went wild, and the Mystics held on in the final 13 ticks for a 65-64 win.

Now some would say that this low-scoring, turnover-infested game was ugly. But the BasketCases say, there is no such thing as a pretty loss and there is no such thing as an ugly win! Congratulations tonight to the Mystics . . . They're Baaaack!!!