Chamique? Chamique who?

Perhaps the Washington Mystics don’t need Chamique Holdsclaw’s presence to win basketball games.

In last night’s 69-68 victory over the Connecticut Sun before 11,021 at MCI Center, four Mystics scored in double figures and there were assists on 21 of their 29 field goals. They finally played as a team instead of relying heavily on Holdsclaw.

Center Nakia Sanford recorded her first career double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds, and forward Aiysha Smith came off the bench to match her career high with 10 points. To win, however, the Mystics had to survive Taj McWilliams-Franklin’s falling-away, 8-foot one-hander from the right baseline that rimmed out at the buzzer.

“There’s no doubt that you miss a player like Chamique, but we have quality, talented personnel on this squad,” said guard Stacey Dales-Schuman, who established a career high with 10 assists.

Holdsclaw, who has what the team calls “a minor medical issue,” didn’t attend last night’s game. Point guard Tamicha Jackson, who is on the injured list with a bad knee, sat at the end of the bench.

The Mystics blew a 14-point, first-half lead before rallying to win. Sun forward Nykesha Sales scored a game-high 23 points but that was not enough for the Sun (13-13), who made three of eight free throws in the final 3:03.

The Mystics’ season is on life support with an 11-14 record and nine games left. But this game proved the team can win without Holdsclaw.

“I wish we had her, but she’s not playing and we’ve got to do it as a group,” first-year coach Michael Adams said. “We don’t have too many players that can do it by themselves, that can break the defense down and create their own shots. We do it together like we did tonight then good things can happen.”

In a statement posted on the team’s Web site late Thursday night, Holdsclaw said she would miss the next two games but did not say if she would return to the team after the August-long Olympic break for the Mystics’ final eight games.

“I came back on Wednesday night [a 73-65 loss to the Detroit Shock] and didn’t feel 100 percent — I recognize that,” Holdsclaw said. “I need to focus on my medical issues and will miss the next two games.”

Last night was the first of those two games. Holdsclaw, who is the WNBA’s second-leading scorer at 19.0 and the league’s third-leading rebounder at 8.3, expressed her gratitude in her prepared statement.

“I just want to thank my teammates, the coaches, coach [Pat] Summitt, Judy Holland Burton, the organization, and last but not least, the fans who have been tremendous with their concern and their support. I hope that everyone will respect my privacy,” she said.

What the first half proved, is that the Mystics are actually capable without their franchise player. The Mystics took a 41-34 halftime lead powered by scoring balance. Rookie guard Alana Beard led with nine points in the half and finished with a team-high 14 points. Sanford, forward Murriel Page and Dales-Schuman each scored eight points in the first half.

“The difference is that we ran our plays and were really patient and we found whoever was open, and it worked tonight,” Sanford said.