{"id":9007,"date":"2026-08-12T16:37:37","date_gmt":"2026-08-12T16:37:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/?p=9007"},"modified":"2026-08-12T16:37:37","modified_gmt":"2026-08-12T16:37:37","slug":"mystics-hold-on-to-beat-dream-extend-winning-streak-to-six","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/?p=9007","title":{"rendered":"Mystics hold on to beat Dream, extend winning streak to six"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\"\"<\/figure>\n\n
From left, Cassandre Prosper, Kiki Iriafen, Shakira Austin, Cotie McMahon and Sonia Citron of the Washington Mystics celebrate after their win against the Atlanta Dream on Friday. (Scott Taetsch\/Getty Images)<\/figcaption>\n<\/figure>\n

Before Friday night, the Washington Mystics hadn\u2019t won six games in a row since their championship season in 2019. And down the stretch against the Atlanta Dream, it looked like they might not get there.<\/p>

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With 32 seconds left and a 16-point lead cut to three, Coach Sydney Johnson called a timeout. The Mystics\u2019 three best players each had an opportunity for a dagger, and after Sonia Citron and Kiki Iriafen passed up a shot, it fell to Shakira Austin, who finished over two defenders with 9.7 seconds to go and sealed a 79-74 victory at CareFirst Arena.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe had an idea of what we wanted to execute. We came off and didn\u2019t get that first or second look. Frankly, sometimes when that happens, it comes down to the fundamentals. Not necessarily making a play on your own, but making a play together,\u201d Johnson said. \u201c\u2026 Kira made a big-time play, but I think as a group, to go beyond the first and second look and to make something happen together, that is also a mark of this team growing in these big moments.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Mystics (18-12) moved up to seventh place in the league, percentage points ahead of the New York Liberty and six games above the ninth-place Los Angeles Sparks. With each game, their first playoff berth since 2023 appears more likely.<\/p>\n

Friday\u2019s game pitted strength against strength: Atlanta came in leading the league in both offensive and defensive rebounding rate, with Washington second in both categories. When the buzzer sounded, the Mystics had a 46-40 advantage on the glass, led by 11 rebounds apiece from Austin and Lauren Betts, who set a career high.<\/p>\n

Washington also set a franchise record by blocking 12 shots. Austin led the way with five, tying a career high.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re just athletic, so I think we just timed it right and defended without fouling,\u201d Austin said of the blocks.<\/p>\n

The Dream, which came in No. 4 in the league standings, led for the first 2 minutes and 31 seconds. Once Washington pulled in front with a 13-0 run, it never trailed again.<\/p>\n

The team\u2019s three-headed monster led the way \u2014 Austin scored 21 points, Iriafen had 15 and Citron 14 \u2014 but contributions from up and down the bench helped the Mystics throughout the game.<\/p>\n

Cotie McMahon \u2014 who was apparently left off the Dallas Wings\u2019 scouting report earlier this week, then went for 18 points off the bench in the Mystics\u2019 dramatic comeback win<\/a> \u2014 made three baskets in the final 2:20 of the first half, each one drawing a more emphatic celebration than the last.<\/p>

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McMahon followed a pull-up jumper <\/b>with a three <\/b>from a couple of feet beyond the arc before finishing her quarter with a driving layup with just seven seconds left. She finished the game with 11 points, while fellow rookie Cassandre Prosper had a career-high 10.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re just finding different ways. Understanding the game, understanding each other, the chemistry that we have,\u201d Johnson said. \u201cI\u2019ll just keep going back to our player development, where individually they\u2019re able to get better, and so then it allows us to get better as a team. And then, we can put an effort like this evening together.\u201d<\/p>\n

The intimate confines of CareFirst Arena reflect the Mystics\u2019 energy back to them from every corner. At other times this year, and certainly in previous seasons while attempting to rebuild, Washington\u2019s stretches of success were often considered the beginners\u2019 luck-style runs that can come from a team that doesn\u2019t know it isn\u2019t supposed to be any good.<\/p>\n

These wins, now, are more emblematic of a team that knows exactly what it\u2019s doing. There will undoubtedly be difficult stretches to come before the end of the season, as expected for any team and particularly one as young as the Mystics.<\/p>\n

But Washington isn\u2019t, at this point in the year, winning games through naive confidence and ignorance of the challenge. Stacking up six wins in a row while playing some of the top teams in the WNBA doesn\u2019t seem like the work of a fluky, inexperienced group.<\/p>\n

In the fourth quarter, after Rhyne Howard hit a three-pointer to cut the Dream\u2019s deficit lead to seven, a timeout by Washington presented a key moment.<\/p>\n

The Mystics responded with a driving layup from Austin, and after a missed three from Jordin Canada at the other end, floor, another bucket from Austin made it an 11-point game.<\/p>\n

The final seconds brought another test of the Mystics\u2019 mettle, but thanks to Austin, the team passed again, and a sixth straight victory was in the books.<\/p>\n

\u201cFinding different ways to win is a mark of an ascending team. An ascending, growing team,\u201d Johnson said. \u201cIt\u2019s very clear.\u201d<\/p>

Read more Home is sweet for Nationals in 5-3 win over Reds<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Atlanta Dream led for the first 2 minutes and 31 seconds. 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