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By ANTONYA ENGLISH
© St. Petersburg Times, published August 8, 2000
ORLANDO -- The Miracle players swear there is something about the T.D. Waterhouse Centre that makes them a better team.
It was hard to argue with that theory Monday night.
Coming off a six-game, six-loss road trip, Orlando's return to its home arena has been a welcome relief.
Leading by three at halftime, the Miracle rallied early in the second half en route to a 65-57 win over Washington in front of 7,090. The Miracle ended the regular season with an 11-5 home record and set a franchise record with 16 wins.
It was consecutive home victories for Orlando, which clinched a spot in the WNBA Eastern division playoffs with a 92-63 win over Detroit on Sunday afternoon.
"I can't say enough about this team," a jubilant Orlando coach Carolyn Peck said. "The fortitude, the gumption, the guts they have is amazing. They stepped up strong. They have the mentality of getting it done."
With the win, Orlando (16-15) locked up the No. 3 seed in the playoffs. Orlando's opponent will depend on what happens in the final two games for Cleveland and New York -- including a head-to-head matchup Wednesday. Washington (13-18) must now rely on a Detroit loss to make the playoffs.
"You can't shoot 36 percent and expect to win," Washington coach Darrell Walker said. "You want to go into the playoffs on a winning note. Why would you want anybody else to control your destiny?"
The Miracle led by as many as seven late in the first half, but took just a 30-27 lead into halftime after Washington outscored Orlando 9-5 in the final five minutes of the half.
The Miracle opened the game by hitting three of its first four shots, but the Mystics' defense helped Washington stay close despite shooting just 2-of-10 in the opening five minutes.
Orlando shot 42 percent from the field in the first half, but committed nine turnovers that led to eight Mystics points.
Fresh off a double-figure scoring game Sunday, Orlando forward Taj McWilliams was the difference in the first half for the Miracle.
She dominated in the paint during the first 20 minutes, grabbing five rebounds and scoring 13 points. More than that, her presence inside helped hold the Mystics' top rebounders -- Vicky Bullett and Chamique Holdsclaw -- to five rebounds in the first half.
But when McWilliams went down with a right ankle sprain with 18:35 remaining in the second half, the Miracle needed someone else to take over. Nykesha Sales accepted the job.
Leading 30-29, the Miracle went on a 17-7 run to take a 47-36 lead with 9:27 left in the game. Sales led the way with 14 second-half points and also grabbed seven rebounds.
"In the first half we were feeding to T.J. (McWilliams) because it was working,. Bbut when she went down, I knew I had to step up," said Sales, who will have an MRI today to determine the problem with a nagging leg injury. "All of us knew we had to step up, and I figured I had to shoot a little more."
With McWilliams out, the Miracle relied on little-used reserve Carla McGhee and center Cintia Dos Santos. McGhee played a career-high 23 minutes, scored seven points with three rebounds. Dos Santos had six points and seven rebounds.
"We had to play the entire second half without Taj, and I can't say enough about Carla McGhee," Peck said. "And Cintia stepped up big for us."
After scoring just three points in the first half, Holdsclaw rallied for a double-double with 14 points and 12 rebounds, but was just 4-of-15 from the field.
The Mystics also had three other players in double figures: Nikki McCray (10), Bullett (14) and Keisha Anderson (11). It wasn't enough.
"We let the game slip away from us by not playing together," McCray said.
HOUSTON 71, PHOENIX 54: Tina Thompson had 26 points and 10 rebounds as the visiting Comets beat the Mercury.
Sheryl Swoopes had 19 points.
DETROIT 74, INDIANA 63: Astou Ndiaye-Diatta and Wendy Palmer scored 18 points each as the Shock rallied to beat the Fever.
Detroit's win, coupled with Washington's loss at Orlando, kept the Shock's playoff hopes alive. The teams are tied for the fourth and final playoff spot.
- Information from Times wires was used in this report.