Mystics vs. Fire: Shakira Austin Scores Career-High 31 as Washington Rallies to Clinch Playoff Berth

For three quarters on Sunday, the Washington Mystics looked like a team that had wandered into the wrong building. They trailed after one, trailed at the half, trailed after three, and at one point sat 14 points behind a Portland Fire team that could not miss. Then they ripped off a fourth quarter for the franchise record books and left Moda Center with a playoff ticket.

Shakira Austin scored a career-high 31 points with 10 rebounds, Georgia Amoore sank two free throws with 4.2 seconds left, and the Mystics completed the rally for a 105-100 win over the Fire in front of 14,860 fans. Washington poured in 40 points in the fourth quarter, a franchise record according to the team, while making 13 of its 15 shots in the period. The Mystics say the win locked up their first postseason berth since 2023, and at an average age of 24.06 they became the youngest playoff team in WNBA history.

Portland Had This Thing on Cruise Control

The Fire opened like a team late for dinner, scoring the first 10 points of the game and taking a 23-18 lead after one. Per the AP, a 14-2 burst early in the second quarter stretched Portland's lead to 34-22. Washington steadied itself with an 18-4 stretch over the next five minutes or so, and Sonia Citron's three-point play even nudged the Mystics in front by one.

That lead was a rental. Portland was up 49-47 at the half, then opened a 9-0 run in the third quarter that turned a 51-48 edge into 60-48. Megan DiLeo was close to perfect with 21 points on 7-of-8 shooting. Emily Engstler knocked down five 3-pointers on her way to 23. Carla Leite ran the whole operation with 27 points and 11 assists, plus a flawless 9 of 9 at the line. After three quarters, the Fire led 70-65 and had been in front for roughly three-quarters of the game.

Forty in the Fourth

Then Washington flipped a switch. The Mystics attacked the paint, kept drawing contact and simply stopped missing. Over the full game they shot 44 free throws to Portland's 15, and the Fire were whistled for 28 fouls against Washington's 13. Portland made every free throw it took. It just didn't get many.

Austin was the battering ram. She shot 11 of 18 from the field and 9 of 13 at the line, grabbed three offensive rebounds and blocked two shots. The Mystics say it was the first 30-point, 10-rebound game of her career. Kiki Iriafen added 18 points and 10 rebounds on 7-of-11 shooting, giving Washington two double-doubles in the frontcourt. Citron was ruthlessly efficient, scoring 14 points on only five field-goal attempts and dishing six assists, while Cotie McMahon (13 points, four assists) and Amoore (13 points, 3 of 4 from deep) gave the backcourt real punch. Lauren Betts did not fill the box score with points, but her plus-22 in 17 minutes, with eight rebounds and three blocks, tells you how the bench minutes went.

The Wildest Three Minutes of the Weekend

The finish had everything. Amoore's step-back 3 made it 92-85 with 3:41 to play. Moments later, her foul on a Portland 3-point attempt was upgraded to a flagrant, Leite calmly hit all three free throws, and then she scored a layup moments later to cut it to 92-90 with 3:09 left. A seven-point lead was down to two in 32 seconds.

Amoore immediately went back to work with a short basket at 2:34. Austin followed with a 7-footer and a free throw, Michaela Onyenwere made two at the line and Citron added one more for a 100-90 cushion with 55 seconds left. That 8-0 run felt like the knockout.

Portland had other ideas. DiLeo scored twice in the final 40 seconds, and Leite buried two 3s, the second a step-back with 5.6 seconds left that made it 103-100 and briefly made everyone in Washington reach for the antacids. Amoore, the same player who had handed Portland its lifeline three minutes earlier, stepped to the line and made both. Redemption arcs rarely come this tidy.

Eight Straight After the Flagrant

Take your pick between the fourth-quarter avalanche as a whole and that 8-0 run after Leite's five-point flurry. The run is the better answer. Portland had just scored five points in 16 seconds to make it a one-possession game, and the Mystics are a young team. Instead of flinching, Washington answered with eight straight points, and Portland never got closer than three the rest of the way.

Forty Points and Other Evidence

• 40: Washington's fourth-quarter points, a franchise record per the Mystics, on 13-of-15 shooting.
• 32 of 44 vs. 15 of 15: Free throws. Portland was perfect at the stripe. Washington lived there.
• 38-25: The Mystics' rebounding edge. The team says it was the 34th game this season in which Washington won the boards, a WNBA record.
• 13 of 28: Portland's 3-point shooting, the reason the Fire led for most of the night.
• Five: Mystics in double figures.

Back in the Postseason

At 22-15, Washington is headed back to the playoffs. The Mystics say this was their ninth fourth-quarter comeback of the season, and it also secured the season series with Portland at 2-1, after a 124-123 home win in June and a 75-56 home loss in July. It was a good response to Friday's 94-84 home loss to Minnesota. The result also rippled through the standings elsewhere: according to the AP, Washington's win combined with Chicago's loss to Indiana eliminated the Sky from playoff contention.

Portland falls to 15-22 and has now lost two straight, following Friday's 82-79 loss to Toronto in Vancouver. The Fire visit Dallas on Tuesday, where, per the AP, the Wings can clinch a playoff spot with a win. Washington heads to Phoenix for games Tuesday and Thursday.

The Upside of a Short Memory

The youngest playoff team in league history played Sunday like a group with no memory of the first 30 minutes. That is usually a criticism of young teams. In the fourth quarter at Moda Center, it was a superpower.

Stats from the official box score via ESPN. Late-game details as reported by the Associated Press; franchise and league records per the Washington Mystics.