Mystics vs. Sky: Sonia Citron and Kiki Iriafen Power Washington to a Franchise-Best 28th Win of the Season

For most of Thursday night, the Washington Mystics treated the Chicago Sky like a scrimmage partner. For the last two minutes, they had to sweat. When the horn sounded at Capital One Arena, they had a win, a playoff seed and, according to the team, the most victories in franchise history.

The Mystics beat the Sky 101-93 in their regular-season finale behind 21 points on 8-of-9 shooting from Sonia Citron and 16 points and 15 rebounds from Kiki Iriafen. The win was Washington's franchise-best 28th, per the team, and it locked up the No. 5 seed and a first-round series at fourth-seeded Atlanta starting Sunday. The AP noted it will be the Mystics' first appearance in the postseason since 2023.

A 31-16 First Quarter Sets the Terms

Chicago never led. Washington made sure of that early, using a 9-0 run late in the first quarter to turn a 20-14 game into 29-14 and taking a 31-16 lead after one. The Sky's shooting from deep was ice cold in that opening stretch, and Washington took full advantage.

The margin reached 20 in the second quarter, according to the AP, and Washington went into the break up 52-34. Chicago played the third quarter more or less even, losing it 27-26, but that left the Sky staring at a 79-60 deficit with 10 minutes to go. The Mystics stretched the lead to 25 in the fourth, and at that point the only suspense was whether the bench would get some run.

Then Chicago Remembered It Had a Pulse

The Sky dropped 33 points in the fourth quarter, and most of the drama came in a span of less than a minute. Alicia Florez had just hit a 25-foot 3 to make it 95-82 with 2:10 left. Then Sydney Taylor was fouled and made all three free throws. Courtney Vandersloot buried a 25-foot 3 and added the free throw for a four-point play with 1:28 to go. Vandersloot struck again on a driving layup at the one-minute mark, and suddenly a 13-point cushion had become 95-91.

That was a 9-0 run, and you could feel the building tighten. Washington needed a clean possession, and Citron delivered it, finding Iriafen for a 3-footer with 38.5 seconds left. Georgia Amoore then went 4 for 4 at the line in the final 30 seconds to put it away.

Citron the Surgeon, Iriafen the Vacuum

Citron missed one shot all night. She finished 8 of 9 from the field, 2 of 3 from deep and 3 of 3 at the line, with five rebounds, five assists, zero turnovers and a plus-19. That is not a stat line, that is a scouting report Atlanta's coaches will be studying all weekend.

Iriafen did the dirty work. She scored 16 points and grabbed 15 rebounds, seven of them offensive, and blocked two shots. According to the team, that gave her 23 double-doubles this season, a Mystics single-season record.

Michaela Onyenwere added 16 with three 3s, Amoore had 14, and Cotie McMahon gave Washington 12 off the bench on just four field goal attempts. Shakira Austin had perhaps the strangest line of the night: 0 of 9 from the field, but seven points at the free throw line, 11 rebounds and five assists. Somehow, it worked.

The rebounding was the whole identity in miniature. Washington won the glass 44-27. The team said its 1,659 rebounds this regular season set a WNBA record, and so did its 40 games of outrebounding the opponent. The 101 points also gave Washington its sixth 100-point game of the season, which the team said ties the franchise record set by the 2019 championship team.

Chicago's Three-Headed Finale

The Sky had three players at 16 points apiece. Vandersloot was the most efficient, hitting 6 of 8 shots, including all three of her 3-pointers, with seven assists. Kamilla Cardoso posted 16 points and 10 rebounds, five on the offensive glass. Taylor got her 16 the hard way, on 5-of-18 shooting with an 0-for-7 night from deep, but she earned eight free throw attempts and made six.

Rachel Banham added 12, and Elizabeth Williams collected five steals. Chicago moved the ball well, with 26 assists, and scored 52 points in the paint. But the Sky committed 24 fouls and handed Washington 32 free throw attempts, and they could not keep the Mystics off the offensive glass.

The Turning Point

Citron's dish to Iriafen with 38.5 seconds left. Chicago had just scored nine straight and had the momentum, the crowd's nerves and a real shot at a stop. Citron could have forced her own shot. Instead she found her big and pushed the lead back to six. The Sky never got closer than that again.

Stats That Matter

• 44-27: Washington's rebounding edge, with 14 offensive boards.
• 8 of 9: Citron's shooting from the field.
• 23 of 32: The Mystics at the free throw line, against 13 of 20 for Chicago.
• 9-0: Chicago's late run that cut a 95-82 game to 95-91.
• 0 of 9: Austin's shooting, offset by 11 rebounds and five assists.

What It Means

Washington finishes 28-16, including 15-7 at home, and enters the playoffs on a four-game winning streak after taking seven of its last eight, as the AP noted. The Mystics also swept the season series from Chicago 3-0. Indiana finished with the same record, but Washington held the tiebreaker after winning the season series, which is why the Mystics are fifth and the Fever are sixth.

The team also noted that the win was coach Sydney Johnson's 44th with Washington, pulling his career record as Mystics head coach to .500.

Chicago's season ends at 16-28, with a 5-17 mark on the road.

Closing Take

According to the AP, AJ Dybantsa, whom the Washington Wizards took with the No. 1 overall pick in the NBA draft, sat courtside with Trae Young. Hopefully somebody took notes. This is what a winning team in that building looks like: grab every rebound, get to the line, and when the other team makes a run, hit the open big instead of hero-balling. The Mystics played the regular season like a team that owns the glass. Now they get to find out if that travels to Atlanta.

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