Shakira Austin scored 20 points, but the Washington Mystics committed 16 turnovers in an 86-76 loss to the Las Vegas Aces.
Shakira Austin scored 20 points Tuesday night, but the Washington Mystics' seven-game winning streak ended with an 86-76 loss to the Las Vegas Aces at Michelob ULTRA Arena.
Austin made 8 of 21 shots and finished with 8 rebounds, 2 steals, and a block. It was her eighth game this season with at least 20 points and 5 rebounds and the 15th of her career.
Austin, who was named WNBA Eastern Conference Player of the Week this week, has reached 15 points and 5 rebounds in 12 straight games. The streak began July 12 against Seattle and matches Chamique Holdsclaw's run from July 2003 for the longest such single-season streak in Mystics history.
A'ja Wilson has an active 27-game streak, the only longer one in the league.
Kiki Iriafen had 15 points and 13 rebounds for her 14th double-double of the season and 30th of her career. Holdsclaw had 62 point-rebound double-doubles with Washington, while Crystal Langhorne had 41.
At 22, Iriafen became the second player in league history to record 30 games with at least 10 points and 10 rebounds before turning 23. Tina Charles had 45.
Sonia Citron added 19 points and 7 rebounds. Tuesday was her ninth game this season with at least 15 points and 5 rebounds.
Mystics Control Glass but Turnovers Cost Them
Washington outrebounded Las Vegas 41-30 and held a 42-28 advantage in the paint.
The Mystics have reached 40 rebounds 16 times this season and posted a rebounding margin of at least plus-10 on 13 occasions, both league highs. They have also scored at least 40 points in the paint in nine consecutive games.
Washington committed 16 turnovers Tuesday. Las Vegas scored 26 points off them. The Aces gave the ball away 8 times.
Mystics coach Sydney Johnson said ball security remained a point of emphasis throughout the night.
"Yeah, that was a key point of emphasis with us — the first quarter, at halftime, and after the game," Johnson said. "And yeah, we just didn't have the punch that we needed in terms of executing and keeping control of the ball.
"And then we have to give some credit to our opponent, in terms of Vegas being locked in and trying to turn us over," Johnson added. "But yeah, that was really, really impactful. The story of the game, at least from our end, is that of their 86 points, 26 of those came off the turnovers."
Washington scored 9 straight early in the first quarter and took an 11-5 lead. Las Vegas closed the period on a 17-8 run, and the teams went into halftime tied 41-41.
Chelsea Gray scored on a step-back jumper early in the third quarter to put the Aces ahead 43-42. Washington did not lead again.
Cotie McMahon said taking better care of the ball will be a focus before the teams meet again Thursday.
"I think just being smart with the ball," McMahon said. "We've had games where we've had a low number of turnovers. We know they're too good for us to just be playing around with the ball.
"But that was a point of emphasis that our coaches had for us at halftime, is just taking care of that ball," McMahon added. "We have another opportunity to play them on Thursday, so we'll be much better with that."
Washington Makes Late Push
Las Vegas took its first double-digit lead at 73-63 with 5:32 remaining.
Austin scored on a cut with 2:46 left to pull Washington within 77-71. The Aces answered with the next 7 points.
The Mystics went 5-of-16 from the field in the fourth quarter and scored 16 points, their lowest total of any period.
Iriafen said Washington tried to make Wilson work for her shots and changed coverages against her.
"She hits tough shots, so we wanted to make sure that we're taking away the easy ones and make her hit the tough ones — which she did today," Iriafen said. "Just kind of changing defensive schemes and making her have different reads versus just being on an island one-on-one. But she's a great player, so we just have to try our best to slow her down. But I think we did a much better job of making her hit the tough shots."
A'ja Wilson finished with 26 points, 13 rebounds, and 4 blocks for Las Vegas. Jackie Young scored 25 points and handed out 8 assists.
Laney-Hamilton Makes Mystics Debut
Betnijah Laney-Hamilton scored 6 points in 14 minutes in her first game with Washington. She made 2 of 4 attempts from 3-point range.
Johnson said Laney-Hamilton showed some early rust before settling into the game.
"I really liked what I saw," Johnson said. "You could see a little bit of rust early, and then she got into the groove in terms of what we're trying to do defensively. Really did a nice job of executing offensively in terms of the plays that we've thrown at her. She really picked up on those.
"She's got a really good feel for the game," Johnson explained. "There are some crafty things there that she was doing on offense and defense that just showed up from her 10-plus years — or 10 years — of experience."
McMahon finished with 5 points and 3 assists. Lauren Betts made both of her shots for 4 points and grabbed 4 rebounds. Angela Dugalic scored 5 points in the final minute, while Georgia Amoore handed out 4 assists.
Washington shot 42.6% from the field, went 5-of-18 from 3-point range, and made 13 of 18 free throws. Iriafen went 3-of-8 at the line.
Michaela Onyenwere missed all 3 of her shots and finished with 4 turnovers and 5 fouls in 26 minutes.
The Mystics are 19-13. Their previous loss came July 18 at Golden State.
Washington gets another shot at Las Vegas on Thursday at Michelob ULTRA Arena.
