CHICAGO, IL – The Mystics pushed their win streak to three as a late game steal by rookie Aaliyah Edwards gave Washington the lead for good, ultimately securing a 74-70 victory over the Chicago Sky.

Outscoring Chicago from behind the arc, Washington concluded the game shooting 38% from deep, 44% from the floor, and 62% from the line. Player of the Game Stef Dolson made an impact early on, leading both teams in scoring with 17 points, six rebounds, and five assists. Ariel Atkins, the Mystics' second highest scorer of the night, shot 3-5 from three-point range to finish with 15 points and claimed six rebounds and five assists.

Less than five minutes into the first quarter, the Mystics went on a 10-2 run pushing the score to 17-11. Checking in for her debut game in a D.C. uniform, Sika Kone got her first bucket as a Mystic off of a layup assisted by teammate Shatori Walker-Kimbrough. Kone ended the night tallying six points and two rebounds, earning the hard hat honor appointed by the team. Returning guard Sug Sutton earned her first points with Washington since the 2021 season off of an ankle-breaking jumper in the second quarter.

As time progressed, Washington displayed amazing ball movement after a steal from Emily Engstler led to Ariel Atkins draining a shot from deep and boosting the team's lead to 35-26. Shooting a jaw-dropping 58% from behind the arc and 55% from field goal range, the Mystics racked up 13 of their 19 assists by the conclusion of the first half.

Chicago picked up momentum coming out of halftime to take their first lead since the first quarter. Later in the game, Karlie Samuelson drilled a much needed three, getting her first points on the board in her return to the court since injury earlier this month. With under two minutes to go in the contest, Aaliyah Edwards picked off fellow rookie Kamilla Cardoso's pass and scored a breakaway layup to put Washington ahead 70-68. In the end, the Mystics successfully held off Chicago to claim a 74-70 victory on the road, tallying 10 steals as a team and forcing the Sky into 21 turnovers. “We’ve turned into one of the best defensive teams in the league”, head coach Eric Thibault stated during the postgame conference–citing the team's increasing lock down efforts since the All-Star break.

Following the conclusion of the yesterday's matchup, Aaliyah Edwards (158) has now passed Shalonda Enis (157) for the fourth-most rebounds in a rookie season in franchise history. Star guard Brittney Sykes (296) is four steals away from reaching 300 total steals in her career, and seven steals away (93) from reaching 100 in a Mystics jersey. Likewise, Ariel Atkins (299) sits second in all-time steals in franchise history behind recent Hall of Fame inductee Alana Beard (364). She needs one more steal to reach 300 total in her career. Belgium native Julie Vanloo (58) is five threes away from surpassing Diana Taurasi's 2004 record of 62 made threes, catapulting into the WNBA top 10 all-time in three-points made in a rookie season. Breakout player Shatori Walker-Kimbrough (215) needs to score five more points off the bench this season to surpass her previous high of bench points in a season (219, 2019 season), which would rank her sixth all-time in franchise history. Additionally, she needs seven more bench points to break into top five all-time (Tianna Hawkins; 222, 2017 season).

WHAT'S NEXT

Washington completes its road tour and returns to ESA to host the Connecticut Sun for the final time this season. The Eastern Conference showdown is scheduled to commence Saturday at 3 p.m. ET.

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