WASHINGTON (AP) — Shakira Austin had 21 points and nine rebounds, Kiki Iriafen added 14 points and 10 rebounds for her eighth double-double this season, and the Washington Mystics beat the Atlanta Dream 81-76 on Thursday night.
Iriafen made layups on back-to-back possessions to give Washington a 78-74 lead with 1:20 left. Georgia Amoore sealed it by making two free throws with 11.4 seconds remaining to make it 80-76.
Alicia Florez had 13 points and seven assists off the bench and Amoore finished with 11 points for Washington (10-9). Sonia Citron, who was coming off a 32-point performance in a four-overtime win over Portland on Sunday, did not play due to right knee soreness.
Rhyne Howard led Atlanta (12-8) with 24 points and five 3-pointers. Allisha Gray added 17 points, Angel Reese had 13 points and 13 rebounds, and Jordin Canada scored 10 points.
Washington trailed 41-32 at halftime after turning it over 18 times and attempting 22 fewer shots than Atlanta. But the Mystics responded with five 3-pointers in the third quarter to take a 60-56 lead entering the fourth.
The Mystics finished with 31 field goals and 27 turnovers.
WINGS 86, SUN 83
HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — Paige Bueckers scored 11 of her 25 points in the fourth quarter, Jessica Shepard finished with 14 points and Dallas beat Connecticut.
Bueckers made a step-back jumper while being fouled with 1:18 left in the fourth quarter to give Dallas an 80-78 lead, its first since it was 16-15. She added the free throw for a three-point lead, but Aaliyah Edwards answered with a three-point play at the other end to tie it at 81-all.
Trailing 84-83 with 25 seconds left, Connecticut guard Leila Lacan dribbled down the clock before driving into the lane for a shot that rolled off the rim. Shepard secured the defensive rebound and made two free throws at the other end to give Dallas an 86-83 lead with 2.9 left. Connecticut was not able to get off a 3-point attempt before the buzzer.
The game was played in Hartford instead of the Sun’s usual home and drew an announced crowd of 14,578 at PeoplesBank Arena to see Bueckers and Azzi Fudd, the two former UConn stars who were drafted by the Wings with the No. 1 pick in the last two WNBA drafts.
Alanna Smith added 11 points off the bench for Dallas (12-8), which trailed by as many as 14 points. Bueckers, who also had seven rebounds and seven assists, scored at least 25 points for the fourth straight game.
Source
Washington Mystics beat the Atlanta Dream 81-76 behind Shakira Austin’s 21
