Liberty vs. Mystics: Marine Johannes Hits Six 3s, Scores Career-High 25 as New York Wins in OT

Kiki Iriafen would not let this game end. With 1:54 left in overtime on Sunday, the New York Liberty led by six and looked ready to shake hands and head for the bus. A little over a minute later, Iriafen had two free throws and a layup on her ledger, Shakira Austin had a layup of her own, and the whole thing was tied at 92 with 33.5 seconds to play.

Then New York finally found the exit. The Liberty beat the Washington Mystics 98-93 in overtime at CareFirst Arena, closing the game with six free throws in the final 30 seconds to improve to 2-0. Marine Johannes hit six 3s and scored a career-high 25, Breanna Stewart had 23 points and nine rebounds, and rookie Pauline Astier finished with 18 points, seven assists and five rebounds.

Groundhog Day in D.C.

The swings started early. Washington used an 11-0 run in the first quarter to turn a 17-11 deficit into a 22-17 lead and led 31-24 after one. New York answered with a 31-17 second quarter, including an 8-0 burst of its own, and went to the locker room up 55-48. The Mystics took the third 21-17 to get within 72-69. Alex Wilson then grabbed an offensive rebound and scored to make it a one-point game just 29 seconds into the fourth, and a Cassandre Prosper reverse layup soon put Washington in front for the first time since early in the second.

From there, the game settled into a loop nobody could break. Rebekah Gardner's three-point play made it 81-78, and Iriafen's three-point play tied it at 81. Johannes scored, Prosper scored, and it was 83-83. Stewart's 12-footer off an Astier pass made it 85-83 with 38.2 seconds left, and Iriafen's layup tied it again with 15.7 to go. Stewart got a look at a potential game-winner at the end of regulation and missed. On to overtime, where the same movie kept playing.

Stewart opened the extra period with a driving layup. Johannes then drilled a 24-footer at 1:58, Astier scored on a running layup four seconds later, and it was 92-86. That is when Iriafen and Austin went to work and erased all of it.

Six 3s, a Rookie and a Lot of Fouls

Johannes shot 8 of 15 and 6 of 13 from deep, matching her career high in made 3s, according to the team. With five in the opener against Connecticut, her 11 made 3s across her first two games of the season are a Liberty franchise record, and only one other player in WNBA history has opened a season with consecutive games of five or more. That is a pretty useful thing to have around when your roster is missing Sabrina Ionescu (left foot), Rebecca Allen (left leg) and Satou Sabally.

Stewart worked hard for her 23, shooting 9 of 23, and added four assists, two steals and two blocks while playing 39 minutes with five fouls. Astier was the find of the afternoon. She shot 6 of 10 overall, made 6 of 7 at the line, and scored six of New York's 13 points in overtime.

New York needed all of it, because foul trouble hollowed out the frontcourt. Jonquel Jones had 13 points and eight rebounds before fouling out with six in 24 minutes, and Han Xu also finished with six. Betnijah Laney-Hamilton did not attempt a field goal in 25 minutes and still made the two biggest free throws of her week.

Iriafen was the best player on the other side, with 20 points, 12 rebounds and six on the offensive glass, plus five of Washington's eight points in overtime. Sonia Citron scored 17 despite going 0 of 6 from 3, making 9 of 10 at the line. Austin added 16 points and 10 rebounds, and Georgia Amoore had seven points and seven assists. Prosper scored eight and fouled out.

Twenty-Nine Seconds to Break the Loop

The game finally turned in the last half-minute. Laney-Hamilton went to the line at 29.6 and made both for a 94-92 lead. On the next trip, Citron lost the ball out of bounds, the kind of mistake that gets replayed in a film session for a very long time. Astier then made two free throws at 19.3 for a 96-92 lead, and after Citron made one at the other end, Astier added two more at 12.3. Washington had spent the entire afternoon answering every New York punch line. That turnover was the one time it did not get the chance.

Stats That Matter

• 19-8: Washington's edge in offensive rebounds, part of a 42-34 win on the boards.
• 54-40: The Mystics' margin in the paint. They did almost everything inside.
• 9 of 27 vs. 5 of 26: New York's edge from 3, and the main reason the Liberty survived the rest.
• 23 of 28: New York at the line, while Washington went 20 of 29.
• 13-8: The Liberty's overtime scoring margin.

What It Means Heading Into the Week

New York is 2-0 and 1-0 on the road after opening with a 106-75 rout of Connecticut, and it has done this with a depleted roster and a rookie running big minutes. The Liberty visit expansion Portland on Tuesday, and it would be nice if the frontcourt could stay out of foul trouble next time out.

Washington slips to 1-1, and 0-1 at home, after a 68-65 win at Toronto in the opener. There are real positives here. The Mystics fought back from a six-point hole in overtime with 4,200 people watching, and Iriafen looks like a problem. They get a few days off before playing Friday at Indiana.

Finally Getting to Tomorrow

Bill Murray needed an absurd number of mornings to escape Punxsutawney in Groundhog Day. The Liberty needed a little less time than that, though on Sunday it probably did not feel that way, with ties at 81, 83, 85 and 92 along the way. What finally broke the loop was not a highlight. It was a shooter who would not stop shooting, a rookie who would not blink, and six free throws. Sometimes that is all tomorrow takes.

Stats from the official box score via ESPN. Game details as reported by the Associated Press and the New York Liberty.