Shakira Austin poured in a game-high 25 points and grabbed 13 rebounds for her 20th double-double of the season to fuel the host Washington Mystics to a 79-69 victory over the Connecticut Sun on Tuesday night.
Washington’s eighth win in its last 10 games solidified its hold on sixth place, and the Mystics (27-16) would be tied for fifth with the Fever should Indiana lose later Tuesday.
Connecticut (10-33) dropped its sixth straight game but will look to end its skid in the season finale on Thursday.
Sonia Citron added 12 points and Cotie McMahon contributed 13 points on 5-for-8 shooting off the bench for the Mystics.
Diamond Miller had a team-high 19 points and six rebounds for the Sun, while Raegan Beers and Leila Lacan each finished with 11 points.
The Mystics went 19-for-25 from the free throw line and scored 28 points off the Suns’ 17 turnovers. But Connecticut dominated on the glass, outrebounding Washington 43-34 with 13 offensive rebounds.
Washington relied on a balanced offense in the first quarter, with seven players scoring. Kiki Iriafen, Citron and Austin led the way with four points apiece. The Mystics scored the final five first-quarter points to take a 23-16 lead.
With her team down by seven, Miller produced 11 second-quarter points and Beers added seven to help the Sun erase their deficit. Miller nailed the team’s first two 3-pointers after an 0-for-5 start, including one to tie the game at 27.
But McMahon hit a 24-foot 3-pointer with 49 seconds left in the second quarter to hand Washington a 44-42 lead at halftime.
The Mystics strung together a 15-4 run to take a 12-point lead late in the third quarter. The Sun scored the final five points of the third quarter to trail 66-58.
With Iriafen in foul trouble, Connecticut cut its deficit to five. But Georgia Amoore’s 3-pointer with 7:31 to play halted the Sun’s momentum and they never found an answer after that.
–Field Level Media
