WASHINGTON, Sept. 14 (AP) -- Charde Houston scored 18 points to lead the Minnesota Lynx to a 96-70 win over the Washington Mystics in both teams' season finale on Sunday.
Anna DeForge added 16 points for the Lynx while Nicky Anosike, Lindsey Harding and LaToya Thomas each had 13.
"That's what we do,'' said Houston of the balanced offense. "I think everyone utilizes their talent. Whenever the opposing team keys on one player that's when we kick it out and other people are able to benefit.''
Minnesota (16-18) was playing without its two leading scorers Seimone Augustus and Candice Wiggins. Both players were injured Tuesday against Indiana - Augustus sustained a mild concussion and Wiggins tore the lateral meniscus in her right knee.
The Lynx lead almost from the start, but pulled away with a 13-2 run to open the second quarter and never looked back. For the game, Minnesota shot 55.6 percent to Washington's 41.9 percent.
"Some day's the ball's going in, the shots are going in, and that makes everything better,'' Minnesota coach Don Zierden said.
Alana Beard scored all of her team-high 17 points in the second half to lead Washington (10-24), which finished the season with a nine-game losing streak. Tasha Humphrey added 11.
The Mystics (10-24) equaled the third-longest losing streak in team history. Washington also lost nine in a row in a stretch spanning the end of the 2006 season and the start of 2007. The Mystics had 11-game losing streaks in 2003 and 1998.
"Things have been tough for all of us this season, and I think everyone did an amazing job of sticking together,'' Beard said. "As much negative as we've had out on the court, in the locker room everything's been positive.''
Both teams had already been eliminated from playoff contention.
Minnesota had lost the last four times the Lynx played in Washington, a streak dating to June 29, 2003.
"You always like to end with a win,'' Zierden said, "but a week from now nobody's going to remember who won this game, they're just going to be focused on the playoffs. Teams like Washington and us will be getting ready for the lottery. But it's nice, it feels good right now.''
