Shakira Austin collected 27 points and 13 rebounds to help the Washington Mystics win their fifth straight game, defeating the visiting Dallas Wings 96-92 on Wednesday night.
Austin shot 9-of-15 from the floor and also tallied two assists and a block for the Mystics (17-12), who overcame a 20-point deficit to get the victory. Washington is now 11-3 on the season when Austin scores 17 or more points.
Cotie McMahon added 18 points off the bench for Washington, while Sonia Citron and Georgia Amoore scored 12 points apiece. Kiki Iriafen chipped in 11 points, and Michaela Onyenwere scored 10.
Dallas (19-12) was powered by Jessica Shepard’s 22 points and 11 rebounds and Alanna Smith’s 21 points and 11 rebounds. Paige Bueckers added 17 points, while Arike Ogunbowale chipped in 15.
The Mystics kept things close early, trailing just 31-28 at the end of the first quarter after McMahon connected on a one-legged fadeaway jumper from mid-range at the buzzer. The Wings pulled away in the second period, though, outscoring Washington 28-16 to take a 59-44 advantage into halftime. Dallas shot 67.7% from the field and 60% from 3-point range in the first half.
Washington battled back in the third, closing the quarter on a 16-4 run to trim the deficit down to eight. Citron sank a buzzer-beating 3-pointer off an assist from McMahon to cap off the scoring surge.
Washington continued to close the gap in the fourth, opening the quarter with a 21-8 run to take a five-point lead after back-to-back buckets from Citron.
McMahon sealed the victory when she blocked Ogunbowale’s shot with 33 seconds to play and then sank a six-foot jumper on the other end. In the final seven minutes of the game, Dallas shot 2-of-14 from the floor.
The Mystics made 22 of 26 free-throw attempts and outscored Dallas in the paint 48-36.
Washington went 2-1 against the Wings in the regular season.
–Field Level Media
