Mystics Begin The 2026 Season 1-1 (5-10-26)
By: Jaden Golding
Headline Photo Credit: Washington Mystics
WASHINGTON D.C. — The Washington Mystics opened up the 2026 WNBA season over the weekend, with the season opener coming on the road against the newly inaugurated Toronto Tempo, and today in hosting their home opener against the New York Liberty.
Washington sports a dynamic, up-and-coming young core that ought to be one of, if not the best, for years to come. Friday night, Washington defeated Toronto in a tight 68-65 finish that came down to the final minute. Today, in front of the home faithful, the Mystics battled hard against one of the best teams in the league and took them to overtime, where ultimately mistakes made by the young group cost them the game, 98-93.
Let’s dive into both matchups and see what worked for the Mystics and what didn’t….
Friday (May 8th) at. Tempo
Sonia Citron was electrifying against Toronto, picking up where she left off in her rookie season. Citron was D.C’s leading scorer with 26 points on an efficient 9-of-12 shooting from the field, knocking down three 3-pointers with two steals and two blocks. It was a rowdy game all night in front of the sellout crowd of 8,210 Toronto faithful. Citron scored an and-one layup at the 2:58 mark in the fourth to put D.C. up 63-58. However, back-to-back baskets by Toronto tied things up at the 1:53 mark.
A late pair of free throws by Marina Mabrey put the Tempo ahead by one with 32 seconds left in the game. However, Shakira Austin drew a foul on the ensuing play, regaining the Mystics’ lead by one. The Tempo had a clean look from three by Brittney Sykes to go ahead by one with under 10 seconds, which rimmed out and resulted in a personal take foul on Austin again. Austin sank two more free throws, securing the victory. Austin finished with 18 points and 11 rebounds. Kiki Iriafen also had a double-double with 12 points and 16 rebounds.
Sunday (May 10th) vs. Liberty
Iriafen recorded her second-straight double-double, scoring 20 points and securing 12 boards, along with three assists and one steal. Despite Washington opening up the game with a 31-24 advantage after the first quarter, New York’s offense woke up in the second quarter. Marine Johannes scored 12 points in the quarter, killing Washington’s defense from behind the arc, which allowed New York to outscore them 31-17. The Mystics trailed by 12 in the quarter, but battled their way back with a 13-2 run in the third that put them behind 67-65.
In the fourth, it was a defensive battle between the two teams, with Washington claiming its first lead since the second quarter after rookie Cassandre Prosper made a reverse layup under the basket at the 7:58 mark.
Breanna Stewart hit a jumper from the right hash outside the paint, which put the Liberty up 85-83 with 38.2 seconds. Irafen hit the game-tying layup with 15 seconds left in the game, after pump faking under the basket, causing Stewart to fly by her for the easy layup. Stewart missed the potential game-winning jumper as time expired, sending the contest to extra time.
In overtime, the Liberty jumped out to a six-point advantage after Johannes knocked down a three-pointer and Pauline Astier sank a driving layup with 1:54 on the clock. Austin responded with a layup before Iriafen made a pair of free throws and a layup to tie things up at 92 with 33.5 seconds left.
Betnijah Laney-Hamilton drew a shooting foul, heading to the line, sinking two free throws with 29 seconds. On the next Washington possession, Citron lost the ball out of bounds, which forced the Mystics to foul automatically. Astier went to the line and made both free throws, giving the Liberty a 96-92 lead and ultimately ending the game.
Austin finished with a 16-point & 10-rebound double-double, Citron scored 17 points, and Georgia Amoore had seven points and seven assists.
Up Next:
The Mystics travel to Indiana to take on Caitlyn Clark and the Fever on Friday at 7:30 p.m.
