Shakira Austin scored 27 points and Cotie McMahon added a career-high 18 as Washington came back from 20 down to beat Dallas 96-92 on Wednesday.
Shakira Austin scored 27 points and grabbed 13 rebounds, Cotie McMahon added a career-high 18 off the bench, and the Washington Mystics came back from 20 points down to beat the Dallas Wings 96-92 on Wednesday night at a sold-out CareFirst Arena.
Dallas led 76-56 with 3:11 left in the third quarter. Washington outscored the Wings 40-16 the rest of the way.
The Wings scored 12 points in the fourth quarter on 5-of-19 shooting and missed all 6 of their 3-point attempts. Washington shot 8-of-14 in the period and made 8 of its 10 free throws. The Mystics outrebounded Dallas 15-9 over the final 10 minutes.
Jessica Shepard's reverse layup put Dallas ahead 86-74 with 7:26 to play. Washington scored the next 12 points, and McMahon's two free throws tied the game with 3:38 left. Alanna Smith answered with a fast-break layup, and McMahon scored on a layup and a free throw with 3 minutes remaining to give the Mystics their first lead at 89-88.
McMahon said the message at halftime was straight to the point and covered effort, sticking to principles, and locking in on personnel.
"I mean, I just knew Sonia was gonna cook. And they ended up tipping the ball, so I didn't see anything else but the ball, so I knew I had to go get it," McMahon said.
"And I was just doing what's been working for me, is driving in the paint. I was looking to kick, because they did double down, but then I knew I had my spin, and I had to get the shot up. And I just took my time and put it up, so yeah."
Sonia Citron scored on a driving floater and a layup for a 93-88 lead. Arike Ogunbowale made two free throws with a minute to play. Washington challenged a foul called on McMahon with 33 seconds left and the call was overturned, and McMahon scored on a turnaround with 11.4 seconds remaining for a 95-90 lead. Paige Bueckers cut it to 3 points with a driving layup, Citron made 1 of 2 free throws, and Bueckers missed a 3-pointer with 5.1 seconds on the clock.
Austin said Dallas got the same looks in the fourth quarter that it had been making in the first half.
"Yeah, I think we just figure out how to get stops with that group. I think our defense was really suspect the whole game," Austin said. "They were pretty comfortable. They were flowing, getting really anything they wanted.
"So in crunch time, when it was time to finally sit down, I think we have a good group in that fourth quarter that knows what to do. We're versatile, and I think we just try to keep them one and done. I mean, everybody crashes for the rebound. That's another big thing, just keeping them off the O boards."
Austin shot 9-of-15 from the field and made 8 of her 9 free throws. It was her 12th double-double of the season and the 26th of her career. Austin has scored at least 25 points with 10 rebounds in consecutive games, and she is the third player in Mystics history to do that, joining Tina Charles, Chamique Holdsclaw, and Crystal Langhorne. She has five games with 25 points this season, second among WNBA centers behind A'ja Wilson. Her block in the third quarter was the 137th of her career, moving her past LaToya Sanders and into a tie with Stefanie Dolson for fifth in franchise history.
Six Mystics scored in double figures, tying a franchise record last matched in a July 22 win over Las Vegas. Washington scored 48 points in the paint to Dallas' 36 and outrebounded the Wings 34-32. It was the fourth comeback from 20 points down in franchise history and the first since a 100-96 win over Atlanta on July 18, 2017.
Mystics coach Sydney Johnson opened her availability by thanking the crowd, and said the fans stuck with the team after a start that was not good.
"I think we tried to refocus our players in terms of — as much as anything, it's just like reminding them of the scout, and really just more intentionality in terms of what we're trying to do," Johnson said.
"I think that we've been very well prepared for Dallas. Dallas is a very good team, and we know that Arike is gonna do her thing. Paige is gonna do her thing. AZ, if you let her get going. Alanna Smith played really, really well. She was a key player for them for a lot of the night."
Washington has won five in a row, its longest streak since a six-game run from Aug. 25 to Sept. 8, 2019. The Mystics have outrebounded their opponent 25 times this season, the most in the league.
Johnson said the group Washington closed with is connected and does not back down from the moment.
"Honestly, I think it was just kind of pulling them into the moment and just saying, 'Hey, you know, our schemes are pretty solid. We gotta lock into the scout, and really know what these individual players are doing,'" Johnson explained. "And we were so much better, holding the Wings at 35% in that second half. Just a much, much better account of ourselves on the defensive end."
Dallas shot 21-of-31 in the first half and led 59-44 at the break. The 67.7% was the third time in franchise history the Wings shot that well in a half and the first since Aug. 14, 2022. Dallas entered the night 14-0 this season when scoring at least 50 points in a half. The Wings scored 31 points in the first quarter, a season high for an opening period.
Wings coach José Fernández said physicality has bothered Dallas all season, in post play and on the perimeter, and that it shows up in interior rebounding.
"Well, I think it all started in the third quarter. We didn't close out the third quarter, right? So let's start there," Fernández said.
"And then we had the break in the… You know, Sonia hit that big three there at the end to close the third, and it went from an 8-0 run to an 11-0 run. But you're still up eight going into the fourth, and then we got it up 12."
Fernández said Washington's points in the paint came from downhill drives, transition baskets, and elbow entries rather than post touches.
"But I thought we missed some shots around the basket we normally make, but that's not the case, you know?" Fernández explained. "I thought we played a good 27, 28 minutes. I mean, we really struggled to guard one-on-one at times at certain places.
"You know, both teams shot 50%, but again, look at 22 free throws. They turned it over 11, we turned it over nine. They got the momentum and we didn't answer at times in some of those crucial possessions."
Shepard scored 22 points on 11-of-13 shooting with 11 rebounds and a game-high 7 assists. It was her 20th double-double of the season, second in the league. Shepard passed 500 career assists and reached 1,000 points, 1,000 rebounds, and 500 assists in 156 games, the third-fastest in league history.
Smith finished with 21 points, 11 rebounds, 2 steals, and 3 blocks in 31 minutes for her first double-double of the season and the sixth of her career.
Smith said Dallas applied what it looked at on film from the first meeting, and that fatigue and fouling factored into the third quarter.
"Yeah, I think we have to make a decision. We're either gonna answer by scoring more or answer by getting defensive stops," Smith said.
"That's just something that we kind of have to look in the mirror and really set that goal for ourselves when teams go on runs, which they will. And so I think we're gonna have to decide how we're gonna answer them."
Bueckers scored 17 points with 5 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 blocks in 37 minutes. Ogunbowale had 15 points and 5 assists. Alysha Clark did not play because of a back injury.
McMahon shot 6-of-10 and scored 10 of her 18 points in the fourth quarter. Georgia Amoore scored 12 points and made 4 of her 6 3-point attempts, tying a career high, and added 5 assists. Michaela Onyenwere scored 10 points and finished at plus-21. Kiki Iriafen had 11 points and 6 rebounds, and Lauren Betts added 6 points and 7 rebounds. Washington's bench outscored Dallas' 24-8.
Both teams shot 50% from the field. Dallas won fast-break points 18-7 and second-chance points 11-8. Washington made 22 of its 26 free throws.
Washington is 17-12 and took the season series 2-1, the third straight year it has won the series. Dallas is 19-12. The announced attendance was 4,200, a sellout.
The Wings host Golden State on Friday at 8:30 p.m. CT at American Airlines Center, with the game airing on ION. The Mystics host Atlanta on Friday.
