Mystics vs. Sparks: Sonia Citron Scores 21 as Washington Rallies in the Fourth for Its 20th Win

The Washington Mystics trailed by nine in the third quarter on Saturday night, looking very much like a team whose luggage was still somewhere over Nevada. Then the fourth quarter arrived, and the Los Angeles Sparks apparently had not been told about it.

Sonia Citron scored 21, Shakira Austin added 17 points and 11 rebounds, and the Mystics outscored Los Angeles 25-12 in the final period to win 80-70 at CareFirst Arena. It was Washington's 20th win of the season and, according to the team, its first 20-win season since 2022.

LA Had This One, Until It Very Much Did Not

The Sparks were the better team for long stretches, and it showed early. Washington's 24-21 first-quarter lead lasted about a minute into the second, when LA finished off an 8-0 run to go up 26-24. The Mystics flipped it right back with an 11-2 surge for a 35-26 lead, and it looked like they had found their footing. Rae Burrell dragged LA right back, hitting two 3s and getting a third from Erica Wheeler to pull within 41-39 at the half.

The Sparks came out of the locker room scorching. Wheeler and Burrell opened the third with consecutive 3s, part of an 11-0 run that spanned the break, and it was 52-43 Los Angeles three minutes into the period. Washington scored the next eight to make it a one-point game, but LA still carried a 58-55 lead into the fourth.

The final 10 minutes belonged to the Mystics. Austin's layup with six minutes left made it 65-64, their first lead since halftime. Nneka Ogwumike's 6-footer kept it at 67-66 with 4:33 left, but Citron scored on the next trip and then fed Austin for a layup to make it 71-66. Burrell's three-point play got LA back within two. Then came the shot of the night: Citron from 24 feet at the 3:09 mark, 74-69, and a 9-1 closing run was underway. Cassandre Prosper made two free throws, Austin scored inside off a Kiki Iriafen feed, and Austin's two at the line with 38.7 seconds left finished it.

Citron, Austin and a Very Large Paint Advantage

Citron had a complete line of 21 points, six rebounds, eight assists and two steals, and she went 4 of 5 from 3 on a team that was otherwise 0 of 16 from deep. The team's notes say the eight assists tied her career high and that it was her first game with 20 points, five rebounds and five assists. That is a pretty loud entry for the scrapbook.

Austin was just as big. She shot 7 of 13 and finished with her 15th double-double of the season, per the team, along with her 1,000th career rebound. She now has 14 straight games with at least 15 points and five rebounds, which the Mystics say extends her own franchise record. That is a ridiculous, very specific streak, and it keeps going.

Iriafen was the most efficient player on the floor, scoring 19 on 9-of-12 shooting with eight rebounds, two steals and a block. Lauren Betts gave Washington eight points, five rebounds and two blocks off the bench with a plus-15, and Cotie McMahon pulled down a career-high nine rebounds. Cassandre Prosper had four points, three steals and a plus-11 in 13 minutes. Betnijah Laney-Hamilton went 0 for 5 and still finished plus-15, one of those box score oddities that says plenty about the lineups around her.

Burrell led Los Angeles with 20 points on 6-of-12 shooting, draining three 3s and all five of her free throws. Ogwumike added 15 points, seven rebounds and four steals, and Dearica Hamby scored 11 but fouled out. Tonie Morgan had seven points and six assists in 17 minutes, but Ariel Atkins had a brutal night, going 0 of 7, all from 3, for one point in 30 minutes. Cameron Brink did not play because of a rib injury, two days after taking a shoulder to the midsection against New York.

The Six-Minute Mark

Everything shifted on Austin's go-ahead layup. Washington had spent almost the entire second half chasing, and it had not led since the break. Once that basket dropped, the Mystics played the rest of the way like a team that had been through this before, because it had, seven previous times this season. Over the last 4:14, they scored on a Citron two, an Austin layup, the Citron 3 and another Austin layup, with free throws filling in the rest. Los Angeles managed four points in that same stretch, and its last field goal was Burrell's drive at the 3:21 mark.

Stats That Matter

• Points in the paint: Washington 60, Los Angeles 30. The team says the 60 is the second-most in franchise history.
• Rebounds: Mystics 43, Sparks 27, including an 11-3 edge on the offensive glass.
• Fourth quarter: 25-12 Washington.
• Shooting: The Mystics shot 47 percent to LA's 39, which covers for going 4 of 21 from 3.
• Comebacks: Per the team, this was a WNBA-leading eighth fourth-quarter comeback of the season.

Twenty Wins and a Stopped Slide

Washington is now 20-14 overall and 12-6 at home. The win stopped a two-game skid, both losses coming in Las Vegas, and those followed a seven-game winning streak. The Mystics host Toronto on Wednesday.

The Sparks fell to 12-22 overall and 7-11 on the road. They have now lost four straight and 11 of their last 13, and they visit Connecticut on Tuesday. The 4,200 in the building got a clear look at why the two teams are headed in such different directions.

Stick Around for the Post-Credits Scene

Washington's fourth quarters have turned into the post-credits scene of a superhero movie. The first two hours are fine, a little uneven, and then right when you reach for your jacket, the real plot shows up. Eight times this season now. At some point, the rest of the league should stop heading for the exits early.

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