Shakira Austin's season-best effort leads Mystics past Wings

Jul 31, 2026; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Dallas Wings guard Paige Bueckers (5) looks to pass as Washington Mystics forward Michaela Onyenwere (12) defends at CareFirst Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-Imagn Images Shakira Austin scored 19 of her season-high 28 points in the first half, Kiki Iriafen added 22 points, and the host Washington Mystics held off a late Dallas surge for an 81-75 victory over the Wings on Friday. Sonia Citron scored 16 points and made four free throws in the final 24 seconds for the Mystics (16-12), who have won four straight for the first time since 2020 and took another step toward their first playoff appearance since 2023. Paige Bueckers scored 17 of her 23 points in the second half and Arike Ogunbowale added 20 points for the Wings (18-11), who have lost three of four. Austin made two free throws with 1:21 left for a 75-73 lead, and Citron hit two free throws with 24.2 seconds remaining to make it 77-73 after Ogunbowale missed a 3-pointer. Bueckers hit a layup with 19.8 seconds left before Citron hit two more free throws to ice it with 10.8 seconds left. Austin had her fourth 20-point game of July, when she averaged 19.8 points and 9.7 rebounds. She had 10 boards Friday. Ogunbowale's 3-pointer midway though the fourth quarter gave the Wings a 64-63 lead, their first lead since early in the first quarter, and from there neither team led by more than three until the final seconds. Alanna Smith had 11 points in 18 minutes for the Wings after missing the previous four games with a leg injury. Her two free throws tied the game at 71 with 2 1/2 minutes left. The Mystics equaled their win total from 2025 and moved one-half game ahead of the New York Liberty (16-13) for seventh place. Dallas won the first meeting against Washington 92-69 on May 18. Iriafen had nine rebounds and Citron had five rebounds, five assists and three blocked shots. Washington had a 42-32 rebounding edge and scored 40 points in the paint to the Wings' 24. The Mystics led the WNBA with a plus 6.7 rebound differential coming in. Austin dominated the paint with eight points and Citron had six points and two blocked shots in the first quarter, when the Mystics opened a 10-point lead and were ahead 22-14 at the break. Their zone defense limited Dallas to 4-of-18 shooting from the field Ogunbowale had nine points in the second quarter when the Wings closed the gap to 38-35 at halftime. Bueckers had 12 points with two 3-pointers in the third quarter but could not dent the Mystics' lead, which grew to 59-55. Washington was 7-3 in July. The teams will meet again in Washington on Wednesday, after the Wings host Connecticut on Sunday. The Mystics do not play again until the rematch. --Field Level Media