USA - Beard leads Mystics to comeback win

CHICAGO (WNBA) - Alana Beard scored nine of her 25 points in the fourth quarter to lead the Washington Mystics to a 77-73 comeback triumph over the Chicago Sky on Saturday.

Beard shot eight of 17 from the floor and added seven rebounds and two blocks as the Mystics avoided a three-game losing skid.

Monique Currie scored 16 points and DeLisha Milton-Jones added 12 and six rebounds for Washington, which trailed, 55-46, after three quarters.

Nikki Blue had 10 points and five assists for the Mystics, who shot 42% (26 of 61) from the field.

The Sky were led by Candice Dupree, who scored 24 points on eight-of-19 shooting and grabbed 11 rebounds.

Chasity Melvin had 18 points and nine rebounds and Jia Perkins and Stacey Dales each scored 10 points for Chicago, who struggled from the field, shooting just 34% (25 of 74).

Elsewhere, Katie Douglas scored 28 points to lead five players in double figures as the Connecticut Sun posted a 110-89 triumph over the Los Angeles Sparks.

Los Angeles were without the services of forward Taj McWilliams-Franklin for most of the first half as she battled foul trouble. McWilliams-Franklin came over to the Sparks from Sun in the off-season and did not fare well against her former team, managing just 10 points in 22 minutes.

Douglas scored nine points as the Sun built a 35-15 advantage after the first quarter. Guard Evanthia Maltsi scored 12 points in the decisive first quarter and finished the game with 23 on nine-of-13 shooting, including five of five from the arc.

The Sparks cut the deficit to 67-60 with a 9-0 run capped by Murriel Page's two free throws with 3:09 remaining in the third quarter. But Douglas responded by nailing a three-pointer to push the lead back to double digits.

Connecticut did not look back from that point, outscoring Los Angeles, 43-27, the rest of the way.

Forward Sidney Spencer led the Sparks with 15 points on five-of-10 shooting, including three of six from the arc.

The win keeps the Sun (7-11) a game clear of Washington for last place in the Eastern Conference. Connecticut, led by McWilliams-Franklin, reached the conference finals last season, falling to eventual champion Detroit.

Also on Saturday, Erin Buescher had career-high 27 points and five steals to lead the San Antonio Silver Stars to their third straight win, an 80-73 victory over the Seattle Storm.

Buescher connected on nine of 15 shots, including two of three from three-point range, to best her previous career high of 25 set against Minnesota on June 29, 2006.

The Silver Stars wasted little time taking control of this one, jumping to a 22-14 advantage after the opening quarter. Buescher scored nine points in the period.

Shanna Crossley drained a jumper, then made a shot from the arc as San Antonio grabbed a commanding 42-25 edge at intermission and never looked back.

Helen Darling and Sophia Young each scored 11 points and Vickie Johnson added 10 and seven boards for the Silver Stars, who shot 45% (30 of 66) from the field and forced 16 turnovers.

Tanisha Wright scored 23 points and Lauren Jackson added 15, 13 rebounds and two blocks for Seattle, who shot 47% (25 of 53).

FIBA