WASHINGTON (AP) -Taj McWilliams-Franklin scored 21 points in her return to Washington, Deanna Nolan added 17 points and 10 rebounds, and the Detroit Shock used a 26-11 advantage in the fourth quarter to beat the Mystics 84-69 Saturday night.
Katie Smith and Plenette Pierson each scored 13 points for the Shock (19-12), who snapped a two-game road losing skid and pulled within 1 1/2 games of the first-place Connecticut Sun in the Eastern Conference.
One night after a 22-point win over Indiana, Detroit was sluggish from the floor for stretches of the game, but finished with a 27-11 edge on free throws.
``It was big because we are obviously trying to position ourselves for the playoffs'', Smith said. ``Its tough coming down here on a back-to-back and by all means we didn't take care of business until the end of the game.''
Monique Currie scored 15 points and Alana Beard had 14 for the Mystics (10-20), who were eliminated from the playoffs with the loss, their fifth straight. Crystal Smith added 12 points and Andrea Gardner 10 for Washington.
``Its been our execution down the stretch, especially in the fourth quarter,'' Currie said. ``We really haven't been able to put things together and games have been slipping away from us right at the end.''
Beard, Washington's leading scorer on the season, missed her first nine shots from the floor and finished 4-for-15. In three games against the Shock this year, she shot a combined 22 percent (7-for-32) from the field.
Tied at 58 after three quarters, Beard's free throw gave the Mystics a one-point lead. However, the Shock took control with a 14-3 run, capped by Katie Smith's jumper and a technical free throw by Nolan with 5:21 left to move ahead 72-61.
McWilliams-Franklin, playing in her first game against the Mystics following a trade last month that sent her to the Shock, hit her first three shots from the floor and scored nine points in the first half as the Shock led 44-40 at the break.
Her jump shot in the fourth quarter started the decisive rally for the Shock, who swept the season series from the Mystics.
``Real emotional for me, especially to be traded during the season and not have a chance to see the fans and say goodbye,'' McWilliams-Franklin said of her return to Washington. ``The sadest part for me was that Washington is now eliminated from the playoffs, but we needed to get the win.''
