Even with no Napheesa Collier, Minnesota proved to be too much for Washington in a 94-84 loss.
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Try as they may, the Washington Mystics couldn’t hold off the Olivia Miles-led Minnesota Lynx to extend their home winning streak to nine games.
The Mystics entered Friday’s game at CareFirst Arena 8-2 in their past 10 games, with eight straight wins at home, and with a split record from the season’s first two meetings with the league-best Lynx. But a 24-point, seven-assist night from Miles, Minnesota’s standout rookie point guard, proved too much for Washington to overcome in a 94-84 loss.
All five Mystics starters scored in double digits — 19 points for Kiki Iriafen, 17 for Shakira Austin, 14 for Michaela Onyenwere, 11 for Sonia Citron and 10 for Georgia Amoore — but the balanced attack couldn’t hold up against Miles and Natasha Howard, who added 21 points.
Washington Coach Sydney Johnson, Iriafen and Onyenwere all pointed to the Mystics’ poor defense against Minnesota’s three-point shooting as the key element of the loss. The Lynx went 11 for 27 from beyond the arc.
“They made big three-point shots all evening,” Johnson said. “They’re a really good jump-shooting team. … That kind of stretches you a bit thin and spreads you out a bit. I thought we did a solid job against Kayla [McBride] for a lot of the game, and then she made two timely ones down the stretch. The three-point shooting kind of differentiated themselves and pulled themselves away from us, and we couldn’t quite keep pace.”
Washington capitalized on the absence of forward Napheesa Collier, the two-time MVP runner-up whom Minnesota rested for the game. For the 33rd time in 36 games this season, the Mystics won the rebounding battle, finishing with a 36-26 advantage on the boards. But the Lynx’s sharp shooting neutralized that advantage.
“Going into every game, we want to be able to take away what the other team is good at. In this case, it was the three-point shots,” Onyenwere said. “They shot 40 percent from three, 11 for 27. I just think that they had momentum down the stretch. We were not able to be in those gaps to help for those threes.”
The Mystics went on a 9-0 run to start the fourth quarter, capped by Iriafen’s third-chance layup, to briefly reclaim the lead. Then Howard promptly pulled up for a midrange jumper, and Miles stepped back for a three from the wing, and just like that Minnesota was back in control.
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That was the theme of the evening for the Mystics, who were able to largely stay close — they never trailed by more than 10 points — but weren’t able to find the extra shots or stops they needed to actually take control. On the night, they led for just 3 minutes, 31 seconds.
“We just weren’t ourselves,” Iriafen said. “The Lynx, they adjusted, especially in that third quarter, I felt like. We were still in the game, but they kind of had that extra push. We talk about it, like, that’s the difference between good teams and great teams.”
Betnijah Laney-Hamilton, whom the Mystics claimed off waivers earlier this month, got 10 minutes of action off the bench and missed the one shot she attempted while grabbing four rebounds. After a difficult start to the 2026 season with the New York Liberty, Laney-Hamilton hasn’t had a seamless transition to Washington.
Johnson highlighted Laney-Hamilton’s nine points in the Mystics’ win over the Toronto Tempo on Wednesday, her highest offensive output since joining the team, while shrugging off the suggestion that her lack of scoring has been an issue.
“She helps us organize. She knows the players in this league,” Johnson said. “There’s too many things that we get excited about and know that she contributes beyond points. Passing the ball, rebounding, organization and defense. Maybe not her night tonight, but she’s just coming off a game that was really helpful for us to beat Toronto.”
The Mystics play their next four games out west, playing the Portland Fire, the Phoenix Mercury (twice) and the Los Angeles Sparks before the WNBA takes a 17-day break to accommodate the FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup in Germany.
By the time they return to Washington in late September, there will only be two games left in the regular season.
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