Ivory Latta scored 14 points, and Kia Vaughn and Crystal Langhorne 12 apiece, as the Mystics beat the Dream in Atlanta in the opener of their best-of-three Eastern Conference semifinal series. Washington, in the playoffs for the first time in three years, ended an eight-game postseason losing streak dating back to Sept. 24, 2004.
Atlanta's Angel McCoughtry, the two-time WNBA scoring champion, finished with 20 points despite missing 12 of her first 14 shots. The Mystics never relinquished momentum after Latta made a three-pointer with 3:48 left in the third to put her team ahead 47-32.
