Mystics Match Franchise Win Record, Blow Past Fever 93-77

The Washington Mystics rolled into Gainbridge Fieldhouse and left with a statement win, thumping the Indiana Fever 93-77 on Sunday to close out the regular-season series 2-1 and match a franchise record with their 26th victory of the year.

Washington set the tone immediately, exploding for 34 points in the opening quarter — their highest-scoring first frame of the season and tied for the second-best in franchise history. The Mystics never trailed, building a lead as large as 26 points and cruising from there. Indiana never got closer than the final margin would suggest; the Fever’s largest lead of the night was zero.

Kiki Iriafen led the way with 21 points on a scorching 9-of-13 shooting, adding a game-high 14 rebounds for her 22nd double-double of the season — third-most in the WNBA this year. It marked her ninth 20-point, 10-rebound game of the season and extended her franchise-best streak of consecutive 10-point, 10-rebound games to eight, tying the longest active streak in the league and the fourth-longest such run in WNBA history.

Shakira Austin was every bit as dominant, putting together one of the signature performances of her career: 20 points on 7-of-13 shooting, 10 rebounds, five assists, and two steals. It was her 19th double-double of the season and her first career 20-10-5 game, making her the first center in the league this season — and just the 12th all-time — to post a 20-point, 10-rebound, 5-assist, 2-steal line. Her seventh rebound of the night pushed her season total to 377, a new Mystics single-season record, while her first board of the game moved her past Emma Meesseman into sixth on the franchise’s all-time rebounding list. Austin’s remarkable streak of games with at least 10 points and 5 rebounds now sits at 24 straight, tying her with an elite group that includes A’ja Wilson, Breanna Stewart, Candace Parker, Lisa Leslie, Sylvia Fowles, and Elena Delle Donne for the longest such run in a single season in league history.

It was the second time in franchise history — and the first since 2011 — that two Mystics finished with 20-plus points and 10-plus rebounds in the same game, and the ninth time this season Austin and Iriafen have paired up for double-doubles together, extending their own league record for such tandem performances in a season.

Sonia Citron rounded out a dominant trio, scoring 16 points on 7-of-12 shooting while dishing out a career-high-tying nine assists and adding a block. It was her 12th game this season with at least 15 points and 5 assists, and she became just the fourth guard in the WNBA this year to combine 15-plus points on 55 percent shooting or better with nine-plus assists and a block, joining rare company alongside Caitlin Clark, Jackie Young, and Natasha Cloud.

As a team, Washington shot a blistering 56.9 percent from the field and 50 percent from three, going 9-of-18 from beyond the arc for the sixth time this season a Mystics performance has cleared the 50-percent mark from deep. The Mystics also dominated the glass, out-rebounding Indiana 37-30 to extend their WNBA-record streak of positive rebounding differential to 39 qualifying games this season, and they punished the Fever inside, scoring 50 points in the paint for the 10th time this year — a mark tied for the second-most such games in a single season in league history.

Defensively, Washington held Indiana to just 77 points, the Fever’s second-lowest scoring output of the season. Caitlin Clark led Indiana with 25 points but needed 20 shots to get there, while Kelsey Mitchell added 22. The Fever shot just 36.6 percent from the field and 21.4 percent from three, unable to find any rhythm against a Mystics defense that forced 13 turnovers and turned them into 8 points.

The win pushed Washington to 26-16 on the season, matching the 2019 WNBA championship team for the most regular-season wins in franchise history, and secured the season series over Indiana 2-1 — the first time the Mystics have won that season series since sweeping the Fever 4-0 back in 2022. Washington has now won two straight and will look to keep the momentum going Tuesday, September 22nd, when they host the Connecticut Sun.