The Indiana Fever showed why they’re atop the WNBA’s Eastern Conference last night at the Verizon Center, beating the Mystics 82-70 in a game that had more full court presses than Brangelina have children.

At 12-3, Indiana is now four and a half games ahead of the 7-7 Mystics, with Connecticut separating the two in the conference. Connecticut defeated Indiana on Sunday, ending the Fever’s 11-game winning streak, but Washington was not as fortunate in shedding the pesky Midwesterners. Mystics head coach Julie Plank said she’s looking forward to her team’s rematch against Indiana on August 2, but like any good coach, she has the team focusing on the Mystics’ next game on Thursday against Chicago.

“[Tuesday’s game] was going to be an important game for us. It kind of lets you know where you stand,” Plank said. “But I think Chicago’s the game we need to win.”

Plank attributed the Fever’s win to Indiana’s relentless trapping defense and the Washington turnovers which resulted: the Mystics finished with a whopping 20. That’s a valid reason, but the gap in quality could also be partly attributed to the wide disparity in experience. The Fever’s starting lineup last night had 38 years of combined WNBA service — the Mystics, only 21.

“Indiana has had people in their core group for a long time,” Plank said. “We’re still working with our lineup and playing different people.”

Last night, that meant forward/center Crystal Langhorne, whose 15 points was but two behind Lindsey Harding’s team-leading 17 and two ahead of Mystics All-Star Alana Beard. The Fever held Beard to her lowest point total since her seven-point game in the Mystics’ season opener, while another All-Star, Tamika Catchings, finished with a season-high 28 points to help boost the Fever to victory.