Five players hit double figures
Sonia Citron scored 19 points and handed out 9 assists as the Washington Mystics beat the Phoenix Mercury 94-84 on Tuesday night. Five Washington players finished with 10 points or more.
Kiki Iriafen posted a double-double with 18 points and 10 rebounds. Shakira Austin added 16 points and 6 rebounds. Michaela Onyenwere and Lauren Betts both reached 10 points. That spread on offense went a long way to explaining the final margin.
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Two runs that finished the job
Washington took control late in the first quarter with a 17-2 burst that pushed the score to 24-15. The second quarter followed the same script: a 14-2 run to send the teams into halftime with Washington up 51-33.
The first-half numbers told the story. The Mystics shot 59.4% from the field. Iriafen, Austin, Citron and Betnijah Laney-Hamilton combined for 36 points on 13 makes from 20 attempts. Kelsey Plum sparked Phoenix with 10 points in the third quarter, cutting the gap to 72-58, but a three-point play from Betts shut the door on the rally.
Washington rolls on, Phoenix sinks deeper
The win moved Washington to 23-15 and gave them 11 victories in their last 14 games. They are sitting pretty as the playoffs loom.
Phoenix, now 13-25, have dropped six of their last seven. Natasha Mack still had a night to remember, setting a career high with 19 points to go with 8 rebounds, 3 blocks and 3 steals. Kahleah Copper also finished with 19 points, while Alyssa Thomas had 16 points and 10 assists.
The backdrop matters. Plum was playing her first home games since arriving on August 2 from the Los Angeles Sparks, after missing three games with a calf injury. And the franchise had just agreed a buyout with DeWanna Bonner, 39, a 17-year WNBA veteran, who was released to join a playoff contender.
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