0-10 after three minutes
Washington did not score for the first three minutes. They trailed by 12 in the second quarter and by 14 in the third. They left Portland with a playoff spot.
105-100. The Mystics are in.
Shakira Austin was the reason: 31 points, a career high, plus 10 rebounds. Kiki Iriafen went for 18 and 10. Sonia Citron had 14 points and 6 assists, and Cotie McMahon and Georgia Amoore both finished on 13. Washington sits at 22-15.
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Ten minutes that decided a season
Down 70-65 heading into the fourth, Washington needed someone to steady it. Michaela Onyenwere tied the game at 76 with a three at the 7:28 mark.
Iriafen followed with back-to-back layups to nudge the Mystics ahead. Amoore then hit from range at 5:24 for 85-80 and again at 3:41 for 92-85.
A minute later Amoore picked up a flagrant 1 on Carla Leite. The French guard made all three free throws and then attacked the rim on the next possession. Two-point game. Portland had life.
Washington answered with an 8-0 run and killed it.
Portland shot the lights out and still lost
Leite finished with 27 points and 11 assists for the Fire. Emily Engstler was outstanding, 23 points on 5-of-7 shooting from three with 6 rebounds. Megan DiLeo added 21, Bridget Carleton 18. Portland drops to 15-22.
The box score explains it. Washington shot 54.1 percent, went 7 of 14 from deep and got to the line 44 times, converting 32. Portland shot 48.6 percent and buried 13 of 28 from range but attempted only 15 free throws, making all of them. Add a 38-25 edge on the boards and the arithmetic stops being close.
Free throws and rebounds. Nothing more complicated than that.
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