AN O-T NIGHT!

Well, it took 14 games of the 2008 season -- and an extra five minutes -- but the Mystics have finally beaten a team with a winning record. And they didn't beat just any winning team. No, they went right to the top, defeating the Western Conference-leading Sparks in L.A. last night, in overtime, 77-74.

Down by as many as 14 (!) in the fourth quarter, the Mystics battled back, and tied the game at 74 on a 3-pointer by Coco Miller with 5.6 seconds left in regulation, sending the game into overtime. And the extra period was all Mystics . . . literally. The two teams set a record for fewest points scored in an overtime, as the Mystics held the Sparks scoreless! Meanwhile a single basket, a 3-pointer by Monique Currie with 1:39 left, comprised the only scoring in the overtime period. It wasn't much . . . but it was enough, and the Mystics notch a BIG win -- on the road -- in the first game of their 3-game west coast swing.

For the second game in a row, both Mo Currie and Mama Taj had big nights for the Mystics. Mo outscored both Lisa Leslie and Candace Parker, as she recorded a game-high 24 points (way to go Mo!). Taj, meanwhile, put up a double-double (12 points, 13 boards). Crystal Langhorne got her first start last night in place of Nakia Sanford, whose game has been somewhat off of late. It's a pretty tough assignment for a smallish rookie post to make her first WNBA start against the twin towers (Leslie and Parker) on the Sparks; Lang played nearly 14 minutes, scored 3 points and pulled down 3 boards. Alana Beard fouled out of the game in 29 minutes, but did put up 17 points. The Mystics also made the game tougher for themselves by hitting less than 50% from the free-throw line. But the important thing is they came away with the victory.

A big win like this one is always a good thing. And, coming at the start of a 3-game roadtrip, hopefully it will provide a real boost to the Mystics when they face another winning team, the Seattle Storm, on Sunday at 9 PM EDT.

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Speaking of overtime . . . We hope you were tuned, as we were, to ESPN2 last night for the game between the Fever and the Liberty at MSG. That one wasn't decided at the end of one overtime . . . or two overtimes . . . it turned into a triple-overtime thriller! New York finally won, 102-96. There were more than 20 ties and lead-changes in the game, and it was just fun to watch.

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A WNBA/NBA first . . . In last night's NBA draft, the Washington Wizards used their first-round pick to select 7-foot Nevada sophomore JaVale McGee. If JaVale's last name sounds familar, it should. His mother is the 6'3" 2-time NCAA champion, Olympic gold-medalist and former WNBA player Pam McGee. The drafting of JaVale makes the McGees the first Mother-Son WNBA/NBA duo. Congratulations to Pam and JaVale!

Another Congratulations . . . this one to the WNBA front office! Yesterday evening, while watching that exciting Fever-Liberty game, we saw the debut of a couple of new "Expect Great" WNBA promos, one featuring Diana Taurasi and the other Sue Bird. Gone was all that self-deprecating negative content. Instead, the ads featured action clips of each player, interspersed with commentary from DT and Birdie -- all of a very positive nature -- and ended with the same "Expect Great" tag line. A MAJOR improvement over those earlier versions! It seems that Donna Orender and the WNBA front office really listened to the fans this time . . . and for that, we give them a big BasketCases shout-out!