Kiki Iriafen scored her 1,000th career point, and Shakira Austin had 19 points and 11 rebounds as the Mystics beat the Mercury 95-75 on Sunday.
Shakira Austin scored 19 points and pulled down 11 rebounds, Sonia Citron also scored 19, and the Washington Mystics beat the Phoenix Mercury 95-75 on Sunday at CareFirst Arena for their seventh straight win.
Washington (19-12) has the longest active winning streak in the WNBA. The franchise record is eight, set from July 31 to Aug. 17, 2018. The Mystics are 5-0 since a 92-84 win over Connecticut on July 28 and are the only team that has not lost since the All-Star break. The 20-point margin was Washington's largest of the season and its largest since a 37-point win on June 8, 2025.
Citron shot 7-of-9 from the field and 5-of-6 from 3-point range, matching her career high from deep, and added four rebounds, six assists, and two steals. It was her second career game with at least 15 points, five assists, and two steals. The first came June 19, 2026, at New York. Only Citron and Kiki Iriafen, who has three, have recorded more than one such game in franchise history.
Austin shot 8-of-16 and blocked a shot for her 14th double-double of the season and the 28th of her career. Sunday was her fourth consecutive game with at least 15 points and 10 rebounds. Angel Reese and A'ja Wilson are the only other players in the league to put together a run of that length this season, and Wilson has done it twice. Chamique Holdsclaw, who had five in a row, and Tina Charles, who had four, are the only players in Mystics history to have done it before Austin.
Washington led 21-20 after the first quarter and never trailed. Phoenix tied the game twice in the opening period and did not lead at any point. Over the second quarter the Mystics shot 12-of-20 and took a 50-37 lead into the break.
Mystics coach Sydney Johnson said the draft, free agency, and continuity on the coaching staff had made Washington bigger, stronger, and faster on defense.
"I think growth, awareness, you know, reading the game much better, kind of knowing what's coming and being able to make the right play," Johnson said. "And, you know, especially Georgia and Alicia — they haven't, you know, been able to have so many games and reps to see what's coming, you know. Rookies."
"So just really appreciate how much they've been open to coaching and gotten better individually," Johnson continued. "That's helped us as a team. We can't give the ball away and expect to win consistently. And so that's what it is. They're just getting those game reps and really applying that to better decision-making."
Georgia Amoore handed out six assists without a turnover. Citron had six assists and one turnover, and Alicia Florez had two assists and none.
Coming out of the half, Washington scored the first 12 points over 3:10. Kiki Iriafen scored twice inside, Citron hit a 3-pointer and drove for a layup, and Austin hit from 25 feet for a 62-37 lead. Phoenix did not score in the third until DeWanna Bonner made a 3-pointer with 6:50 left in the quarter. The lead reached 29 at 71-42 with 3:59 to play in the period.
Phoenix shot 12-of-34 across the second and third quarters. The Mercury committed 16 turnovers, 10 of them in the first half, and Washington scored 18 points off them.
Mercury coach Nate Tibbetts said Phoenix's defensive intensity was not where it needed to be at the start of the third quarter.
"Yeah, I thought the first quarter we came out and played well," Tibbetts said. "The start of the second really hurt us. But the zone gave them something to think about. I think it's been a good thing for us here the last couple weeks."
"But our turnovers hurt us in the first half, which makes it tough, because we've done a better job with the turnovers," Tibbetts continued. "But I believe we had 10 in the first half, and it got them going, and that separation really hurt us."
Iriafen finished with 12 points and nine rebounds and scored her 1,000th career point. Citron reached the same mark in her 64th game on July 16.
Iriafen said her role has changed by matchup this season, from screening and rebounding in some games to attacking a matchup in others.
"Yeah, one, I'm just super grateful that I got to achieve that and do it with such a great organization and great teammates," Iriafen said. "But yeah, truly, I can't do that without my teammates. So I think it's just special."
Michaela Onyenwere scored 13 points on 5-of-8 shooting with three 3-pointers. Cotie McMahon also scored 13, going 4-of-8 from the field and 5-of-7 at the line. Five Mystics reached double figures for the third consecutive game, tied for the second-longest such run in franchise history. Washington had four in a row from June 1 to June 9, 2019, and three in a row from Aug. 19 to Aug. 23, 2020.
Onyenwere said Washington came out with a sense of urgency and held to its identity for all 40 minutes.
"Yeah, just our consistency to fight and our will," Onyenwere said. "It's been there every single game. We were down 20 against Dallas, and it was never heads hanging. It was never us being negative. It was just like, hey, let's go get it. We can cut this lead in half, we can go get this game."
The Mystics scored 42 points in the paint, their eighth straight game with at least 40. The run began July 18 against Golden State and is a franchise record. Phoenix in 2010 and Chicago in 2021 are the only other teams in league history to reach eight, and the 2018 Dallas Wings also got there.
Washington made 11 3-pointers, a season high and its most since Aug. 17, 2025, against Los Angeles. The 11 steals matched a season high set June 2 against Chicago, and the Mystics are 5-0 this season when they force at least 10. Washington shot 50.0% from the floor, 36-of-72, and is 5-1 when it shoots 50.0% or better. The Mystics finished with 40 rebounds, their 15th game this season with at least 40, and their 27th game outrebounding an opponent. Both lead the league.
Lauren Betts had 6 points and six rebounds and did not play in the fourth quarter. Johnson said Betts took a knock, that she was fine, and that he had spoken with her after the game. Betnijah Laney-Hamilton was inactive.
Kahleah Copper led Phoenix (12-22) with 15 points on 4-of-13 shooting. Noémie Brochant scored 13 on 5-of-7 shooting. Alyssa Thomas had 10 points, 10 rebounds, and six assists. Natasha Mack scored 8 and Bonner scored 10.
Kelsey Plum scored 5 points on 2-of-7 shooting in 14 minutes and did not play the second half because of calf tightness. Lexi Held started the third quarter in her place and finished with 7 points. Plum was acquired from Los Angeles on Aug. 1.
The crowd of 4,200 was a sellout. Phoenix has lost three in a row.
The Mercury play the Sparks at Galen Center in Los Angeles on Tuesday. Washington visits Las Vegas on Tuesday and again on Thursday. The Mystics and Mercury meet twice more, on Aug. 25 and Aug. 27 in Phoenix.
