FAIRFAX COUNTY, Va. (7News) — A back-and-forth battle ended in celebration for the Washington Mystics, who defeated the Chicago Sky, 81-79, in an off-season matchup at Eagle Bank Arena.
Tuesday’s early afternoon game, which brought an announced 9,350 fans to George Mason’s campus, was filled with screeching children and exciting basketball.
Amid a tight final quarter in which the Mystics’ lead never exceeded five, forward Shakira Austin sealed the game with a pair of free throws inside the final three seconds. Austin also drilled a layup 20 seconds earlier that put Washington up two, setting up two Angel Reese free throws that tied the game at 79 and set up for a tense finish.
Austin scored a team-high 15 points in 24 minutes. Recently-named all-stars Sonia Citron and Kiki Iriafen followed with 13 and 11 points, respectively, while Brittney Sykes added 11 of her own, leading to a balanced scoring effort.
Reese, a Baltimore native, posted a game-high 22 points and 15 rebounds in her return to the DMV. Center Elizabeth Williams added 20 points and seven rebounds, but Chicago posted a measly 11 bench points compared to the Mystics’ 23 points off the bench.
That was the main difference in a game that was decided in the final seconds. Washington also dominated the possession battle, putting up 11 more shot attempts, six more free throws and grabbing six more offensive rebounds than the Sky.
Those factors helped the Mystics overcome a pitiful 17-for-31 performance from the free throw line.