Mystics hope activation of Sauret helps

Audrey Sauret, the Washington Mystics’ free agent guard whom team officials say has the potential to be a big playmaker in the WNBA, was officially added to the team’s active roster yesterday.
Sauret has been practicing with her Washington teammates since Tuesday, just six days after helping lead Valenciennes to the French national title.
“After we watched her in practice the last two days, we figured she was ready,” Mystics general manager Melissa McFerrin said. “She showed us that she’s going to be an effective player in this league.”
To open up a roster spot for Sauret, the Mystics waived center Jennifer Whittle and placed guard Markita Aldridge on the injured list with a left knee effusion.
The addition of Sauret could help Washington (2-5) when it faces the Miami Sol (4-3) tonight at MCI Center. The Sol have dropped three straight and the Mystics four, with all the losses to common opponents: the New York Liberty, Detroit Shock and Cleveland Rockers. The two teams are scoring just 62.8 points a game, next to last in the WNBA. Miami, though, at least has a winning record.
“They win games, so they’re playing defense,” Mystics center Vicky Bullett said. “We’re not playing defense.”
Solving that problem has been the Mystics’ main focus in practice this week, McFerrin said. With the postponement of Tuesday’s game against the Houston Comets because of flood damage at Compaq Center, Washington’s players have had time to bone up on defense.
“We’ve been going back to fundamentals,” coach Tom Maher said. “We’re very encouraged.”
However, just stopping the other team’s offense isn’t going to give Washington the wins it needs to climb out of fifth place in the Eastern Conference. The Mystics must figure out how to score, too.
McFerrin said she has discussed the problem with the coaching staff, and all agree that the Mystics’ post players need to be utilized much more in the offensive set.
“We have to learn to share the ball,” said Bullett, a center who averages 32 minutes a game but just 7.3 points. “Seven touches for someone like myself who plays [that much] is not going to do it. I’ve got to have more touches. It’s not just for me to shoot. It’s to draw [opponents’] defense [in] so we can get outside shots.”
Having Sauret in the lineup should make the post players happy. The guard was the assists leader in her French league with 4.9 a game and has the poise to find everyone on the floor.
“[Sauret’s] a wonderful passer and certainly passes well to the post,” McFerrin said.