Game Recap: Shakira Austin Shines Despite Storm’s Game-Winner

Ali Jawad

Photo by Stephen Gosling

Concluding a back-to-back weekend, the Washington Mystics fell just short Sunday afternoon, dropping an 84-82 nail-biter to the Seattle Storm at CareFirst Arena.

Alysha Clark made her second start of the season, while Brittney Sykes faced her former team for the first time since the August 5 trade that sent her to Seattle in exchange for Clark and a 2026 first-round pick.

The Storm controlled much of the first half, outscoring Washington 48-39 and building a lead that reached 14, powered by a scorching stretch from Nneka Ogwumike.

But as they’ve done repeatedly this season, the Mystics refused to fold.

Behind a career performance from Shakira Austin, Washington clawed back in the second half and turned the game into a possession-by-possession finish.

Austin was the engine of the comeback all afternoon, finishing with a career-high 30 points and a perfect 10-for-10 mark at the free-throw line, repeatedly answering Seattle runs and keeping the Mystics within striking distance.

Washington’s push culminated in the fourth quarter, when the Mystics ripped off an early 7-0 run to erase Seattle’s advantage and finally take their first lead of the game.

From there, it became a back-and-forth battle: Seattle landed a punch, and Washington responded, highlighted by timely buckets from Kiki Iriafen, Stefanie Dolson, and Sonia Citron, plus multiple momentum-shifting plays from Austin.

In the final minute, the teams traded big shots. Sykes drilled a clutch three that looked like it might swing the result, but Sug Sutton answered with a deep triple of her own to tie it at 82 and set the stage for a dramatic finish.

With the clock winding down, Ogwumike delivered the decisive blow, knocking down a buzzer-beating jumper to lift Seattle to the 84-82 win.

Citron and Iriafen combined for 26 points, and Dolson added 11 off the bench, but it wasn’t enough to overcome Seattle’s top-end scoring. Ogwumike and rookie Dominique Malonga powered the Storm with 47 points combined, giving Seattle just enough to survive Washington’s late charge.

“I just took it possession by possession,” Austin said postgame. “The team did great keeping them within one shot, and pushing it, and that’s what really kept us in the game.”

Play of the Game

Game Notes

Shakira Austin posted a career-high 30 points along with four blocks, five rebounds, and a steal. She became the first Mystic ever with 30+ points and 4+ blocks in a game and just the second WNBA player to do so this season. Austin has now scored in double figures in four of her last five games and matched her career-high with 10 free throws made.

Kiki Iriafen added 12 points and six rebounds. With her fifth board, she set the Mystics’ single-season record for rebounds and became the eighth rookie in league history with 100+ offensive rebounds. She is also just the fourth Mystic to reach that mark.

Sonia Citron finished with 14 points, six rebounds, and four steals, tying her season-high. She has now scored in double figures in 15 straight games, tying Chamique Holdsclaw for the second-longest rookie streak in team history. Citron also tied Nikki McCray for fourth-most multi-steal games by a rookie (13) and matched the third-most 3+ steal games in a season (4). Her 33 double-digit scoring games tie Seimone Augustus and A’ja Wilson for the second-most by a rookie in league history.

Stefanie Dolson led the bench with 11 points, five rebounds, three assists, and a block. She knocked down a season-high four threes, marking the most by a Mystics reserve this season, and has now made a three-pointer in seven of her last eight games.

Sug Sutton dished out a season-high nine assists, her 10th game this year with at least five.

Emily Engstler extended her streak of games with a steal to 10, tying Rita Williams (1998) for the longest by a Mystics reserve.