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Charles' 34 points, 16 rebounds help snap Storm's win streak

Posted June 23, 2021 7:00 am

The Associated Press

Seattle Storm's Breanna Stewart, left, defends Washington Mystics' Tina Charles (31) during the first half of a WNBA basketball game, Tuesday, June 22, 2021 in Everett, Wash. (Dean Rutz/The Seattle Times via AP) The Associated Press

EVERETT, Wash. (AP) - Tina Charles had 34 points, 16 rebounds and five assists, and the short-handed Washington Mystics made 16 3-pointers in an 87-83 victory over the Seattle Storm on Tuesday night.

Charles rebounded a miss by Breanna Stewart and got it to Leilani Mitchell, who made two free throws with 4.3 seconds left for a four-point advantage. After a timeout, Seattle was off on a 3-pointer at the buzzer.

Charles, who finished two points shy of tying a career high, became the first player in WNBA history with 30-plus points and 15-plus rebounds in back-to-back games. Charles also passed Lisa Leslie for eighth on the league's career scoring list.

Mitchell finished with 19 points and seven assists for Washington (7-6), which won its third straight. Ariel Atkins and Theresa Plaisance each added 10 points. Washington only had eight healthy players because of a wave of injuries. They were missing Natasha Cloud and Myisha Hines-Allen - the latest two to get injured last week.

They still had Charles though, who has had a stellar first season with Washington. She had 17 points and five rebounds in the first half to help Washington build a 43-36 lead. She added 12 points in the third quarter, making all five of her shots.

Jewell Loyd led Seattle (12-3) with 23 points and nine assists. Stewart had 17 points and eight rebounds and Mercedes Russell and Candice Dupree each scored 10 for the Storm, who had their five-game winning streak snapped.

Dupree moved into fourth on the WNBA career scoring list, passing Cappie Pondexter, and Loyd reached 3,000 career points.

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More AP women's basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/womens-basketball and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

Seattle Storm's Breanna Stewart gets a hand on the shot by Washington Mystics' Tina Charles (31) during the first half of a WNBA basketball game, Tuesday, June 22, 2021 in Everett, Wash. (Dean Rutz/The Seattle Times via AP) The Associated Press

Washington Mystics Theresa Plaisance, left, shoots over Seattle Storm's Mercedes Russell (2) during the first half of a WNBA basketball game, Tuesday, June 22, 2021 in Everett, Wash. (Dean Rutz/The Seattle Times via AP) The Associated Press

Washington Mystics Leilani Mitchell, right, goes up for the shot defended by Seattle Storm's Mercedes Russell during the first half of a WNBA basketball game, Tuesday, June 22, 2021 in Everett, Wash. (Dean Rutz/The Seattle Times via AP) The Associated Press

Former Washington Mystics player Crystal Langhorne is presented with a jersey and her championship ring during ceremonies recognizing her retirement before a WNBA basketball game, Tuesday, June 22, 2021 in Everett, Wash. (Dean Rutz/The Seattle Times via AP) The Associated Press

Former Seattle Storm player Alysha Clark waves to the crowd after receiving her WNBA Championship ring before a WNBA basketball game, Tuesday, June 22, 2021 in Everett, Wash. (Dean Rutz/The Seattle Times via AP) The Associated Press

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