WASHINGTON, July 13 (AP) -- Nikki Blue scored a career-high 13 points, including two key free throws in the final minute, and the Washington Mystics held off the Connecticut Sun 69-64 Sunday.

Taj McWilliams-Franklin had 11 points and 10 rebounds and Nakia Sanford added nine points and 11 rebounds for the Mystics (8-12), who won despite making only two baskets in the fourth quarter.

Lindsay Whalen scored a career high-tying 33 points for the Sun (13-8), who shot just 33 percent from the field. Rookie Amber Holt had 10 points and was the only other Connecticut player with more than six.

Washington also played much of the second half without leading scorer Alana Beard, who missed about 11 minutes following the break due to a contusion about her right eye in the third quarter. She also hyperextended her knee 14 seconds into the fourth.

But Beard came back with 4:35 left and then combined with Blue to make a few crucial plays that Washington needed after Connecticut cut a 14-point fourth-quarter lead down in the final minutes.

Beard, who finished with nine points, hit a 17-foot shot that gave Washington a 65-62 lead with 37 seconds left, her only second-half basket and the Mystics' only one in the final 9:28. Blue then made two free throws with 17.8 seconds left to close the scoring.

Washington got 32 points in the paint while the Sun stuck to shooting long jumpers and had just 18.

Asjha Jones came into the game as the Connecticuts leading scorer (16.9 points) but finished with just six points and got hit with a technical with 25 seconds left.