Shakira Austin scored two free throw with 2.8 seconds left to snap the tie and finished with team-high 15 points as Washington Mistics survived the late game charge from Chicago Sky coming from Chicago Akash to win the 81-79 victory at Fairfax, VA.
Sonia Citron had 13 points and Britney Cyx and Kiki Irifen posted each 11 points for Mistics (9–10), who snatched the two-game skids.
Austin missed two free throw, but secured the rebound after the second attempt and converted from a low post to go to Go-Forward shot to play with 21.1 seconds. Angel Reese counters with a pair of free throw to pull the sky before Austin’s final foul shots.
Reese scored 22 points and 15 rebounds for Akash (5–13), while Elizabeth Williams extinguished 11 out of 20 points in the fourth quarter. Rachel Banam added 13 points and Ariel Atkins had 11 for Chicago.
Sky scored eight straight points at 70-66 for its biggest lead of the game and with less than four minutes to play.
Citron dried the 3-pointer to insert the mistics by 75-74 with the remaining 1:36. Washington got a stop and the 3-population of Banum was scored by Sykes before tying a 3-pointer with 46.8 seconds.
Reese, who publicly complained about the lack of free-three efforts after Sunday’s loss in Minnesota, went on 12-for-15 on foul shots.
Banum has at least three 3s in four direct sports.
Irafen collected 10 rebounds for mystics.
The Sky used 11–0 runs in the third quarter, even to draw at 52 because Washington went through a drought of over five minutes.
Despite the first half double-dabble of Reese, the mystic was above 40–35. Alia Edwards had eight points from the bench.
Washington led 22–19 after the first quarter, out of which 12 points were coming from the store.
Sky did not score at the last 1:48 of the first quarter and then scored only five points in the first six minutes of the second quarter. Still when Kia Nurse drilled a 3-pointer, they were within 34–29.
Kamila Cordoso of Chicago, who had double-dobbal in last month’s meeting, was not available due to a foreign commitment.
-Bield level media
