Mystics vs. Aces: Shakira Austin's Three-Point Play With 12.8 Seconds Left Stuns Las Vegas 100-99

A'ja Wilson had not missed a free throw all night. Eleven tries, eleven makes, and then, with 17.8 seconds left and the Aces clinging to a 98-97 lead, the first of her two shots came up empty. It was the only blemish on a 38-point masterpiece, and the Washington Mystics drove a truck through it.

Five seconds later, Sonia Citron's driving layup missed, Shakira Austin beat everybody to the rebound, scored, drew the foul and made the free throw. That was the ballgame: Washington 100-99 over Las Vegas on Wednesday night at CareFirst Arena, in a game the Mystics trailed by nine with four minutes to go.

The Aces Had This Filed Under Done

Neither team could shake the other for a half. Las Vegas took a 22-21 lead out of the first quarter, Washington answered with a 9-0 burst that stretched across the quarter break and turned a 22-19 deficit into a 28-22 lead, and the Mystics went to the locker room up 46-45.

Then the third quarter happened. Las Vegas poured in 33 points, carried a 78-71 lead into the fourth and looked thoroughly in charge. Jewell Loyd's free throws made it 89-80 with 4:48 left. Wilson's floater at 3:59 made it 91-82, back up to nine, the biggest lead either team held all night.

What came next belongs in Austin's personal highlight archive. Free throw at 3:41. And-one layup at 3:18. Running layup at 2:53. Eight-foot jumper at 2:25. That is eight straight points from one player in 76 seconds, and a nine-point hole had become 91-90.

The Aces did not fold. Chelsea Gray hit a 10-footer and the free throw that came with it, and Michaela Onyenwere answered with a 25-foot three. From there it turned into a duel at the stripe between Wilson and Citron: two for Wilson at 1:43, two for Citron with 43 seconds left, two more for Wilson at 30.6, then a Citron driving layup at 19.6 that made it 98-97. Then came the miss, the rebound and the three-point play. Las Vegas got 12.8 seconds to respond, and the scoreboard never moved again.

Thirty-Eight Points and Nothing to Show for It

Wilson was sensational, which will be little comfort on the flight home. She shot 12 of 16, made two of her three threes, went 12 of 13 at the line and added seven rebounds, five assists, three steals and two blocks. Jackie Young had 24 points, seven rebounds and seven assists despite going 0 of 4 from deep, and Gray scored 19. That trio accounted for 81 of Las Vegas' 99 points. The other six Aces combined for 18.

Washington's answer was volume. Austin led the way with 25 on 10-of-18 shooting, plus six rebounds and three assists, and 11 of those points came during the closing rally. The team says that makes six straight games of 15 or more points and five or more rebounds, her longest such stretch ever. Citron scored 20, handed out eight assists to match her career high and survived six turnovers by scoring four points in the last minute.

Kiki Iriafen managed 12 points and 10 rebounds on 4-of-12 shooting for her 12th double-double of the season, according to the team. Lauren Betts gave the Mystics 13 efficient points off the bench, and Onyenwere and Georgia Amoore had 10 apiece. That made six Mystics in double figures, which the team says ties a franchise record.

The Glass Was the Whole Movie

The rally gets the headlines, but look at how the winning play actually happened: a missed layup and an offensive rebound. Washington finished with 12 offensive boards to four for Las Vegas, and on a night when the Aces shot 55 percent and the Mystics shot 49, those extra looks were the difference between a good try and a win. Washington also won the assist battle 24-18, even with Citron's six giveaways, and it did not need a single player to go nuclear to get there.

The other half of the swing was on the Las Vegas end. After Gray's and-one with 2:11 left, the Aces did not make another field goal. All five of their remaining points came from Wilson at the line. Washington, meanwhile, outscored them 18-8 after that floater made it 91-82. Las Vegas spent the final minutes looking for one person to bail it out, and she very nearly did. Nearly is a rough word when the final margin is one.

The Receipts

• Rebounds: Washington 34, Las Vegas 24, including that 12-4 edge on the offensive glass.
• Bench points: Washington 23, Las Vegas 12.
• Three-pointers: Washington 7 of 13, Las Vegas 5 of 14.
• Points in the paint: Washington 48, Las Vegas 38.
• Final 3:59: Washington 18, Las Vegas 8.

A Break Both Teams Will Think About

Washington goes into the All-Star break at 14-12 and 6-6 at home, with two straight wins after Monday's 90-82 stunner at Golden State. Citron and Iriafen head to Chicago for All-Star Weekend, and they will be arriving in a very good mood. When play resumes, Connecticut visits on Tuesday in the second game of a six-game homestand.

Las Vegas falls to 18-8 and 11-3 on the road, while Minnesota sits at 22-6 after winning in Seattle earlier on Wednesday. The Aces had just put up 109 in Toronto on Monday, so this was hardly a crisis, but a nine-point lead with four minutes left is the kind of thing a team tends to replay over a break. Portland visits on Tuesday.

Danny Ocean Would Approve

Danny Ocean needed 11 guys, a stolen pinch and a whole lot of choreography to rob Las Vegas. Washington needed six double-figure scorers, one missed free throw and a center who refused to stay off the glass. It was a smaller crew and a much smaller score, but as heists go, this one cleaned out the house by exactly enough.

Stats from the official box score via ESPN. Game details as reported by the Associated Press and the Washington Mystics.