The Washington Mystics fell 98-95 to the New York Liberty in a thrilling overtime battle during their home opener at Carefirst Arena on Sunday.ย
After building an early first-quarter lead, Washington battled through adversity and rallied late to force overtime in a gritty fight to close out the game.
โI think with this team, we never think weโre out of the game,โ said Mystics forward Kiki Iriafen. โEven if weโre down [15 points], we still believe that thereโs a chance. When we went into overtime, we were like, โWe have a chance to win the game.โ So I think we just have a lot of confidence in our ability to come back. Weโve done it a little bit last season and we have even more pieces this season. So I just think that we never give up.โย
Iriafen led the Mystics with 20 points and 12 rebounds, three assists, and one steal. This marked her second straight double-double (18th career) and fifth career 20-point, -10-rebound game, tied for the sixth-most in franchise history.
She also made history by becoming the 11th player in WNBA history to record at least five games of this stature before the age of 23.ย
Center Shakira Austin added to the Mystics’ scoring effect with 16 points and 10 rebounds. This marked her second consecutive double-double, making her and Iriafen the first Mystics teammates since 2003 to open a season with back-to-back double-doubles.
Guard Sonia Citron finished the day with 17 points, hitting 9-of-10 free throws, along with five rebounds, two assists, and two steals. Guard Georgia Amoore recorded a game-high-tying seven assists, which tied for the second-most assists in a Mystics home debut history for rookies.ย
Despite the loss, the Washington Mystics showed tremendous promise and toughness, offering an early glimpse of this franchiseโs growth with the youngest roster in the league.
โWe might get beat and we got beat today, but we didnโt get bullied,โ said Mystics head coach Sydney Johnson. โItโs togetherness. Thatโs got to be the way we roll here in [Washington]. Thatโs just who we are. But thereโs some toughness too. Thatโs got to be in our DNA as well.โย
The Washington Mystics will next open a four-game road trip by facing the Indiana Fever on Friday, May 15. Tipoff is set for 7:30 p.m. on Ion.
