The Washington Mystics battled to the final buzzer on Friday night, rallying late but ultimately came up short 92-91 to the Atlanta Dream on the road.

Defensively, the Mystics amped up the pressure over the last 5:30 of the night, as they limited the Dream to just one made FG and went on a 17-5 run to close the gap.

Shakira Austin delivered a career performance, notching a personal-best 28 points and pulling down 10 rebounds for her first double-double of the season and 11th of her career. She also added three steals and two blocks, continuing her defensive surge with multiple blocks in three straight games for the first time in her career. Austin shot an impressive 13-of-17 from the floor (.765 FG%), marking her second-best shooting game with 10+ attempts.

Austin wasn’t the only standout. Brittney Sykes kept her foot on the gas all night, pouring in 21 points while dishing out eight assists and grabbing five boards. It marked her ninth 20-point game of the year, and she did it with efficiency, hitting 50% from the field, 90% from the line. She’s now totaled 27 assists over her last five games, continuing one of the most productive playmaking stretches of her career.

Rookie Sonia Citron continued to impress, scoring 17 points on 7-of-14 shooting while adding three rebounds and three assists. It was her 13th consecutive game in double figures, just three shy of tying the franchise rookie record set by Nikki McCray in 1998. She also hit multiple threes for the seventh time this season, a mark that ranks second among all WNBA rookies.

Sug Sutton chipped in with seven points, five rebounds (a season-high), and three assists, while Kiki Iriafen added nine points and six boards, her 12th straight game with at least five rebounds.

Despite the loss, Washington dished out a season high 26 assists, and outplayed Atlanta in multiple areas including rebounds (33-24), points in the paint (52-40), second -chance points (19-9), and fast-break scoring (13-10).

It was a gutsy showing with plenty of positives, just one point shy of a statement road win. Washington is back home this Sunday as they welcome No. 1 overall pick Paige Bueckers and the Dallas Wings at CareFirst Arena. Tip-off is at 3 PM ET.