Mystics Weather the Storm (7-12-26)
By: Jemesia Jefferson
All Photo Credit: Riley Smith-LMS Network
WASHINGTON D.C.—The last time Washington faced Seattle was on a trip to the Pacific Northwest at the end of May. During the 5-day road trip, the teams faced off twice, setting the season series at 1-1. Much has changed, for both franchises, since those meetings. Roster changes, minutes adjustments, and most importantly, experience building for two of the youngest teams in the WNBA.
Despite the changes, this matchup began with a Natisha Hiedeman heater, similar to the first matchup. Hiedeman’s 11 points on 5 of 8 from the floor propelled the Storm to an 18-11 start. This didn’t rattle the Mystics, however. Head Coach Sydney Johnson subbed in rookies Lauren Betts and Cotie McMahon and they began to chip at the lead. Betts finished a layup at the buzzer while McMahon completed a three-point play the old-fashioned way. Though it wasn’t enough to win the quarter; Seattle led 24-18 after the first.
Quarter 2 started better for the Mystics. After drawing contact at the rim and grabbing several offensive boards, Washington took a 36-33 lead forcing a Seattle timeout. The timeout worked as intended; Seattle regained their composure and closed the half on an 8-1 run to take back the lead. However, the Mystics won the quarter by 1 point (22-21).
The third quarter felt very similar to the second. Slow start for the Storm while the Mystics — specifically Sonia Citron and Shakira Austin, hit shot after shot. This time the “timeout” was actually a successful challenge. The Awa Fam block worked as intended. Seattle forced some turnovers and got great looks at the rim. Storm led 68-64 but Mystics won the quarter by 1 point (24-23).
It took a couple of minutes for either team to find rhythm in the fourth. But once it was found, the trading of buckets began. Around the 6:40 mark, Citron made a layup to put the Mystics within one. Seattle passed the ball inside to Dominique Malonga but the defense by Betts caused her to lose the ball. Betts recovered and Georgia Amoore completed the layup to take the lead. Seattle had another punch in them. Flau’jae Johnson got a steal and Hiedeman finished it on the other end. Then Shakira Austin hit a three-pointer, a way-too-early dagger. The shot only put Washington up two but Seattle followed with 7 turnovers and was unable to recover. Mystics won, 84-79.
Mystics are hitting the road to face the Toronto Tempo (10-13). This is the third matchup of a 4-game series. Washington leads the series 2-0 but the margins are thin; Mystics are +4 across both matchups.
