While Sonia Citron and Kiki Iriafen have grabbed the spotlight in their second WNBA seasons, the heart of the Washington Mystics can’t be overlooked.
Shakira Austin helped the Mystics dominate the Indiana Fever 50-38 in the paint on Sunday as part of a 93-77 road win. With two games to go, Washington will turn to Austin and the rest of the young core when it hosts the Connecticut Sun on Tuesday.
The victory over Indiana was Washington’s 26th of the season, matching the 2019 championship team for the franchise’s regular-season record.
Austin was the third overall pick in the 2022 WNBA Draft, and in her fifth season, she is blossoming at the center of a playoff-bound team. Her averages of 17.0 points, 9.4 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game are all by far career highs.
She had 20 points on 7-of-13 shooting, 10 rebounds, five assists and two steals against Indiana to complement Iriafen’s 21 points and 14 boards. Austin also set a new franchise record for rebounds in a single season against the Fever, pushing her total this year to 384.
“If (Austin) doesn’t get Most Improved Player, I think I’m going to start a riot,” Mystics guard Georgia Amoore said, per WJLA. “Because the way she’s playing, it’s efficiency, night in, night out. It’s defense and offense; like, not many people play both sides of the ball as efficiently and as aggressively as she does, and she makes a difference on both ends of the floor.”
The Mystics (26-16), headed to the playoffs for the first time since 2023, enter the final week of the season tied with the New York Liberty, who play Monday evening, and the Dallas Wings in the final three playoff spots in the standings. The potential outcomes and postseason matchups are numerous, but head coach Sydney Johnson knows one thing about his group.
“They’ve asked for the playoffs,” Johnson said.
The Sun (10-32) have dropped five in a row but will avoid finishing in last place in their final season before relocating to Houston. The Storm are 2 1/2 games behind the Sun with two games to go for Connecticut and one for Seattle.
The Sun are led by breakout guard Leila Lacan (11.8 points, 4.6 assists per game), who put up 15 points with three 3-pointers Sunday in a 101-89 loss to the Minnesota Lynx.
“She’s been more confident,” Sun coach Rachid Meziane said. “I would say that her confidence is maybe the area where she improved … the most. She’s playing with more physicality.”
Tuesday will be Connecticut’s final road game before the franchise relocates to Houston. The Sun close their Connecticut era Thursday at home against Toronto.
–Field Level Media
