Kiki Iriafen posted her third consecutive double-double and Shakira Austin reached 1,500 career points in Washington's 92-84 win over Connecticut.
Sonia Citron scored 22 points and Kiki Iriafen added 20 points and 10 rebounds as the Washington Mystics beat the Connecticut Sun 92-84 on Tuesday night at CareFirst Arena.
Citron shot 6-of-9 from the floor, went 8-of-9 at the free throw line, and blocked 2 shots. It was her ninth 20-point game of the season, the 16th of her career, and the third time in 2026 she has led a game in scoring.
Washington moved to 15-12 with its third straight win, matching the longest streak of its season, set from June 17-21. The Mystics are three games above .500 for the first time this year.
Iriafen's double-double was her third in a row, the 13th of the season, and the 29th of her career. Jessica Shepard (18) and Angel Reese (17) are the only players in the WNBA with more this year.
Shakira Austin finished with 17 points and 6 rebounds. Her first basket of the night pushed her career total to 1,500 points in her 131st game. Austin is the third center in franchise history to reach the mark and the fastest to get there, ahead of Chasity Melvin (173 games) and Nakia Sanford (222 games). Her fifth rebound moved her past Elena Delle Donne (930) into seventh on Washington's all-time rebounding list, and she closed the night at 932.
Tuesday also marked Austin's seventh consecutive game with at least 15 points and 5 rebounds, the longest such run of her career. A'ja Wilson (20), Aliyah Boston (eight), and Breanna Stewart (seven) own the other active streaks of that length league-wide.
Austin was asked at the podium about the defensive adjustment at halftime.
"Yeah, I mean, we just had to pick it up. In the first half, we let them get what they wanted," Austin said. "Aneesah was getting some flow shots that we could've been a little more prepared for. We just had to make the adjustment at halftime. Aneesah came out and I think she had hit four threes before halftime, and we just had to really stop them from being in rhythm. I think allowing our defense to build our offense and our transition just helped us flow a lot easier."
Connecticut opened with a 33-point first quarter, its highest-scoring period of the season, and led 33-26. Aneesah Morrow scored 14 of those points. Citron and Morrow each had 17 by the break, which arrived with the score tied at 54.
Out of halftime, Austin scored the first 5 points of the third quarter, Iriafen scored the next 7, and Citron hit a 3-pointer for a 68-60 lead with 4:49 left in the period. Washington outscored Connecticut 25-10 in the quarter and carried a 79-64 lead into the fourth.
Cotie McMahon came off the bench for 11 points and 2 blocks, and she went 7-of-8 at the line. McMahon is the second rookie reserve in the league this season with at least 10 points and multiple blocks in a game, after Azzi Fudd on May 24. She is the 11th Mystics rookie to do it off the bench and the first since Aaliyah Edwards on May 21, 2024.
McMahon was asked about her block late in the second quarter.
"Yeah, I just feel like we needed some energy on the defensive end. We needed to get back to Mystics defense. I was coming in at the right time. It's my job to go in there and make an impact right away," McMahon said. "I saw where we were lacking a little bit, so I just decided to step up, be in the right spots at the right time, and it got me a block."
Mystics coach Sydney Johnson was asked afterward about McMahon's eight free throw attempts.
"That's massive for us. We key in on three, and we want to get to the rim, whether that's through post-ups, drives or cuts," Johnson said. "Obviously, she has that ability. We saw that when we were scouting her. Eight free throws is awesome. Seven makes is even better."
Washington shot 43.3% (29-of-67) from the field, 50.0% (6-of-12) from three, and 84.8% (28-of-33) at the free throw line. This was the fourth time this season the Mystics have shot 50.0% or better from deep, tied with Minnesota for the most such games in the league.
Washington finished with 41 rebounds and won the rebounding battle for a league-leading 24th time. The Mystics have 12 games with 40 or more rebounds, the most in the league and the highest single-season total in franchise history, topping a mark that had stood since the 2009 team recorded nine. Washington also outscored Connecticut 44-32 in the paint, its 16th game this year with at least 40 paint points.
Georgia Amoore handed out a team-high 5 assists, her eighth game this season with 5 or more, third among 2026 rookies. Washington had 20 assists and 14 turnovers.
Morrow led Connecticut with 21 points. Olivia Nelson-Ododa added 16 points and 6 rebounds, and Charlisse Leger-Walker had 8 assists. The Sun shot 41.3% (31-of-75) from the field, 44.0% (11-of-25) from three, and 11-of-18 at the line. Connecticut fell to 7-21 and has gone 1-11 without the injured Brittney Griner.
Johnson was asked for his assessment of Iriafen's night.
"A lot of grit there. She kept coming," Johnson said. "I don't want to get into the officiating, but she was forced to play through some stuff that might have been a little unfair or was asking more of her than was warranted. What I liked about her was that she kept competing. She stayed engaged."
Washington has gone 3-4 in May, 6-5 in June, and 6-3 in July. The Mystics won 88-81 in Connecticut on June 17 and lost 68-57 there on June 26. The teams meet once more, on Sept. 22 in Washington.
Connecticut plays at the Chicago Sky on Thursday. Washington hosts the Dallas Wings on Friday and again on Aug. 5.
