WASHINGTON — Mystics coach Sydney Johnson said before the game Tuesday that he was worried about the Sky’s experience, given their roster full of seasoned, accomplished players.
The Mystics, by contrast, have the youngest roster in the WNBA. They feature eight rookies and are as focused on player development as they are on winning.
Still, the Sky (3-6) couldn’t keep up. They let the young’uns give them the business and dropped their fifth consecutive game with a 90-72 loss.
The Mystics’ rookies announced themselves early and often, with five scoring in the first half. Forward Shakira Austin, an elder at 25, continued her dominant stretch with 17 points and eight rebounds. And former Sky guard Michaela Onyenwere made her old team pay with 13 points on 5-for-6 shooting.
By the fourth quarter, with the game out of hand, the fans chanted for the only rookie who hadn’t yet made an appearance: 5-6 guard Rori Harmon.
They got their wish. The youth revolution is fully under way in Washington.
The Sky simply had no answer for it. Despite defense being their calling card. Despite the Mystics playing without their leading scorer, Sonia Citron.
Then again, the Sky are no picture of health themselves. They’ve spent the whole season short-handed, and it has chipped away at their defensive identity. The loss of forward Rickea Jackson to a season-ending torn ACL looms over every loss. Even a week without rookie wing Gabriela Jaquez has hurt them badly.
‘‘We started off [the season] really strong,’’ guard Natasha Cloud said of the defense. ‘‘Obviously, losing some players, not having players, you have to adjust and pivot and find where you’re gonna piece in and plug in.’’
Clearly, they’re still figuring it out. Ball-screen coverage took a step back against the Mystics. Rebounding remains a massive issue. The Sky lost the rebounding battle 46-29, and the Mystics turned the extra chances into 17 points.
Offense remains a problem, too. After taking great care of the ball in the first few games, the Sky turned it over more than 17 times for the second consecutive game. Coach Tyler Marsh said teams are being more physical, making them extend their offense further out. But something just isn’t clicking.
The Sky tried a few new looks defensively, flashing a full-court press for the first time and switching to a zone in the third quarter. But the zone only freed up wide-open three-pointers for the Mystics.
After the Sky dropped their fourth game in a row last week, Marsh said the locker room was disappointed but not dejected. The dejection hung in the air Tuesday, plain for everyone to see.
‘‘[We need to] be better when times get hard,’’ guard Sydney Taylor said. ‘‘Don’t put our heads down. I think body language on our team is an issue at times. I guess you could say myself included.’’
There were still bright spots. Kamilla Cardoso had a double-double with 12 points and 13 rebounds. Azura Stevens looked the most like herself since returning from injury. And Taylor again provided a burst off the bench, scoring 15 points on 6-for-13 shooting.
But without the ability to get stops, the Sky are missing what fueled their 3-1 start.
Cloud, for her part, still thinks the defense can turn around.
‘‘To me, defense is about pride, preparation, connectivity, our willingness to be there for one another, to be in gaps for the duration of the shot clock and then end the possession,’’ Cloud said. ‘‘If we get stops, we get to do what we want, which is run in transition, which we’re actually pretty good at.’’
Transition offense is another thing that has disappeared in this four-game skid. The Sky scored only four fast-break points against the Mystics.
There’s plenty of season left to turn things around. But the Sky first have to rediscover the veteran wisdom that was supposed to be their edge.