The Washington Mystics entered the All-Star break on a high note Monday night, using a dominant fourth-quarter performance to defeat the Golden State Valkyries 90-82 at Chase Center. The victory snapped Golden State’s nine-game winning streak, the longest active streak in the WNBA, and gave Washington its first win over the Valkyries this season.
The game featured 15 lead changes and remained tightly contested for three quarters. Golden State carried a 58-54 lead into the final period after outscoring Washington 23-18 in the third quarter, but the Mystics responded with a 36-point fourth quarter to pull away late. Washington shot 68.8 percent from the field in the final 10 minutes while holding the Valkyries to 24 fourth-quarter points.
Washington’s frontcourt controlled the game throughout the night. Rookie Kiki Iriafen led all scorers with 23 points on 8-of-12 shooting while adding 12 rebounds for her 11th career double-double. Shakira Austin recorded 15 points and a game-high 15 rebounds, marking her 10th career double-double, while Sonia Citron contributed 17 points and six assists. Rookie point guard Georgia Amoore added nine points and a career-high-tying eight assists to help the Mystics finish with 25 assists on 32 made field goals.
Washington also dominated on the glass, outrebounding Golden State 35-23, including a 29-16 advantage on the defensive boards. The Mystics shot 52.5 percent from the field and connected on 42.9 percent of their three-point attempts.
Golden State had balanced production despite the loss, placing four players in double figures.
Rookie Kaitlyn Chen turned in the best performance of her young career, finishing with a career-high 20 points and a career-high six assists. Kayla Thornton added 15 points while shooting 4-for-7 from beyond the arc, Veronica Burton recorded 12 points and a team-high seven assists, and Janelle Salaün finished with 11 points after going 4-for-4 from the free-throw line.
The Valkyries forced 17 Washington turnovers and converted them into 19 points while also recording 10 steals. However, Golden State struggled to overcome its disadvantage on the boards and attempted just 11 free throws after not getting to the line until the 2:19 mark of the third quarter.
Monday’s game also continued the Valkyries’ remarkable support at home, as Chase Center hosted its 37th consecutive sellout, with 18,064 fans in attendance.
After the game, Golden State head coach Natalie Nakase credited Chen for her aggressive play and impact on the floor.
“She was fearless tonight… she really wants to make her teammates better when she’s on the floor.”
Nakase also pointed to the closing minutes as an area for improvement, saying the Valkyries have typically executed well in late-game situations but didn’t maintain their discipline down the stretch against Washington.
Burton echoed that sentiment, saying the team can learn from the loss, particularly in taking care of the basketball and maintaining its defensive identity when the offense stalls. She also praised Chen’s development, saying, “The sky’s the limit for her.”
The Mystics improve to 13-12 entering the All-Star break, while the Valkyries fall to 19-8 after seeing their franchise-record nine-game winning streak come to an end. Both teams will use the break to reset before beginning the second half of the WNBA season.
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