Washington’s best season in seven years
Twenty-three wins with six games left to play. Only one Mystics team has ever finished a regular season with more, and that was the 2019 group that went on to win the title with 26. The 94-84 win in Phoenix overnight moved Washington to 23-15 and put that number back within reach.
Sonia Citron ran the night with 19 points and nine assists. Kiki Iriafen added 18 points and 10 rebounds for her 17th double-double of the season, a figure that already places her among the most productive interior players in the league this year. Shakira Austin scored 16. Michaela Onyenwere and Lauren Betts each finished with 10.
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The game was settled by halftime
Washington shot 59 percent from the field before the break and led 51-33. The Mystics never let the margin drop into single figures after that, stretching it to 64-44 at its widest. Phoenix trailed for the entire second half.
Part of that traces back to the Mercury bench, which did not produce a single field goal until Kelsey Plum scored with 4:42 left in the third quarter. Plum was playing her first game since Aug. 9 and finished with 10 points in 17 minutes.
Phoenix also went 3 for 17 from three-point range. Natasha Mack and Kahleah Copper each scored 19, and Alyssa Thomas posted 16 points and 10 assists, but a team sitting at 13-25 cannot survive a shooting night like that against a side playing this well.
What it changes for the seeding
Washington already has its playoff berth secured. What is on the line across the closing week is position, and every win hardens the Mystics’ grip on a higher seed before the bracket locks. The 2019 mark of 26 regular-season victories is the internal benchmark, and four wins from the last six would match it.
The two teams meet again in Phoenix on Thursday, which gives the Mercury a quick chance to answer and gives Washington a chance to take another step toward that number.
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