Tied at 88 with the shot clock ticking down in overtime, the Washington Mystics looked to rookie guard Sonia Citron — and she responded.
Nailing her fourth triple with 12.2 seconds remaining, Citron gave Washington (6-8, 5-5 Eastern Conference) the lead and the 91-88 win over the Dallas Wings (3-12, 1-8 Western Conference) June 22 in front of a sold-out CareFirst Arena. Citron recorded a career-high 27 points and 11 rebounds, her first career double-double.
The matchup featured three of the top four picks in the 2025 WNBA draft: No. 1 guard Paige Bueckers, No. 3 Citron and No. 4 forward KiKi Iriafen, each of whom finished in double-digit scoring.
Washington opened the game strong, going on an 11-1 run and forcing a Dallas timeout just over two minutes in. Citron and guard Sug Sutton each hit a pair of 3-pointers and combined for 17 points in the quarter, while center Shakira Austin added 6.
While the Mystics were clicking offensively, the Wings shot just 14.3% from the field, falling behind before ending the quarter down 27-14.
Yet, after 10 minutes of the Mystics’ dominance, Dallas shifted the pace in the second quarter. Guard Arike Ogunbowale scored 14 of her team-high 27 points in the period, helping the Wings close the gap.
A 3-point play from Bueckers, followed by a second-chance putback from forward NaLyssa Smith, gave the Wings a 32-31 lead with under five minutes remaining in the half. Ogunbowale followed with a triple to push the lead to 4.
Washington scored just 13 points in the quarter and entered halftime down 45-40. After shooting 56.3% from the field in the first, the Mystics went 4 for 10 in the second. Additionally, they committed 8 turnovers in the period.
Coming out of the half, the Wings maintained control. With 8:37 remaining, a Bueckers-assisted three from guard Aziaha James put the Wings up 10 — their largest lead of the game.
However, the Mystics gradually chipped away with steady contributions from Austin and Citron. With under five minutes remaining in the quarter, a Citron layup brought Washington within 1. Still, the Wings quickly responded, going back up 7 with just over a minute to play in the period.
Despite several late stops, the Mystics entered the fourth trailing 69-62.
Ogunbowale opened the fourth with a jumper, but Sutton answered with her third 3-pointer, pushing her to a season high of 15 points and narrowing the Wings’ lead. A foul on Bueckers sent Citron to the line, and the rookie added a jumper soon after to keep Washington within reach. The teams traded baskets until, with just over 2 minutes to go, Iriafen gave the Mystics their first lead since the second quarter.
In a whistle-heavy final few minutes, both guard Brittney Sykes and Bueckers picked up their fifth fouls as the teams alternated free throws. Up 3, the Mystics called a timeout with under a minute to play, but came up empty, committing a shot clock violation. James made 1 of 2 free throws for Dallas on the following possession.
With 15.1 seconds remaining, guard Kaila Charles fouled out, allowing Bueckers to reenter. Citron went 1 for 2 at the line to put the Mystics back up 3 before a Dallas timeout.
Bueckers, who finished the game with 20 points, 9 rebounds and 7 assists, came up big for the Wings, knocking down a deep three off the inbound to tie the game at 84 with 11 seconds left.
“Just to play the possession and serve the moment,” Bueckers told The Hoya in a pre-game interview, reflecting on her personal performance expectations.
The Mystics had one last look, but the shot did not fall, sending the game to overtime.
Bueckers drove in for a layup to put the Wings ahead early in overtime. Moments later, James made a steal and a transition jumper, but the basket was overturned on review for a shot clock violation.
Dallas responded anyway, as Bueckers came up with a steal and transition finish, bringing the score to 88-84 with 2:42 remaining.
Austin answered with a pair of free throws then hit a jumper to even the score at 88. Both teams had chances to take the lead, but the next minute and a half went scoreless on both ends.
Then, Citron seized the moment. Pulling up from the right wing, she capped off her career game with a go-ahead 3 to put the Mystics up 91-88.
While the Wings had one more possession, they were unable to capitalize, and the Mystics walked away with the win.
Four Mystics starters ended the game recording at least 15 points. In addition to Citron’s career performance, Austin finished with 21 points and 7 rebounds. Iriafen added 19 points and 7 rebounds, while Sutton contributed 15 points.
Head Coach Sydney Johnson said the scoring balance reflected the team’s offensive chemistry.
“I think it just shows the growth of the team in terms of moving that ball,” Johnson told The Hoya. “It demonstrates how much they’re trusting and believing in each other. So, the ability to finish off, whether it’s a layup or a kick-out three, there’s some talent in there as well.”
“But I think the belief, the trust and the buy-in in terms of how we’re hoping they’ll approach the game on the offensive end, those things are showing themselves off,” Johnson added.