In the first of a four-game road trip, the Washington Mystics fell to the Atlanta Dream 99-83 at the Gateway Center.

Washington hit the ground running in Atlanta, opening with a dominant first quarter on both ends of the floor. But after building an early double-digit lead, the Mystics struggled to maintain momentum as the Dream responded with a strong second quarter and carried that energy through the second half. Despite a standout performance from Kiki Iriafen, who tied her career high with 22 points, and four Mystics finishing in double figures, the team couldn’t overcome the Dreams balanced offensive effort.

Here is a recap of Sunday's matchup.

First Quarter: Fast Start for the Mystics

The Mystics came out firing in the first quarter, jumping to a 10-0 lead before the Dream finally got on the board with a pair of free throws from Allisha Gray at the 5:14 mark. Brittney Sykes got going early, scoring six points on 3-of-5 shooting, and Washington shot the ball well as a team, hitting nine of their first 15 shots. On the other end, the defense was just as sharp, holding Atlanta to 3-of-13 from the field. 14 of Washington’s 23 points came in the paint, and they took a 23-12 lead into the second.

Second Quarter: Atlanta Flips the Script

Atlanta flipped the momentum in the second quarter, outscoring Washington 28-16 to take a 40-39 lead into halftime. After trailing 35-23 midway through the period, Atlanta closed the half on a 17-4 run, getting key contributions from Nia Coffey, Jordin Canada, Brionna Jones, Te-Hina Paopao, and Naz Hillmon. The Dream caught fire late, shooting 11-of-19 in the second quarter after a slow start, while the Mystics went 7-of-12 from the field. Turnovers were a problem for both sides, with the teams combining for 27, resulting in 31 points off miscues, 21 of them off Washington’s. Gray led the Dream with 12 points in the first half, while Iriafen paced the Mystics with 10 points and two steals through two quarters.

Third Quarter: Mystics Fight Back, But Dream Close Strong

Atlanta opened the second half with a quick 7-2 run, but the Mystics responded. Sug Sutton converted a three-point play to bring the game back within a possession, and Iriafen followed with a jumper to cut the lead to just one. Jones answered for the Dream, scoring back-to-back buckets to stretch the score back to 51-46. Iriafen stayed hot with a 14-foot jumper, but Gray responded with a deep three from 24 feet. A flagrant one on Jones with 5:17 remaining set up Sonia Citron to trim the deficit back to four, but the Dream finished the quarter strong, closing on a 17-10 run to take a 71-60 lead into the fourth. Iriafen tallied 10 points in the third, while Gray added 8. Both players led all scorers with 20 points each through three quarters of play.

Fourth Quarter: Final Frame

Atlanta maintained a double-digit lead throughout the fourth quarter, holding off any hopes of a late Washington rally. The Mystics finished with four players in double figures, Shakira Austin, Iriafen, Citron, and Sutton, while Atlanta had five reach that mark, led by Jones, Hillmon, Gray, Canada, and Coffey.

Stat Leaders

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Mystics Game Notes

Looking Ahead

The Mystics visit the Chicago Sky up next on Tuesday, August 5, at the Wintrust Arena with tip-off at 8 PM ET.