WASHINGTON, D.C. – With support from a record-breaking crowd, Washington secured a thrilling 92-91 win in its season finale at Capital One Arena.

Despite a slow start with the Fever going on an 11-0 run in only three minutes of play, the league's best bench fought back to score a combined 17 points early in the contest to bring the Mystics within two after the first quarter. The second quarter saw more of the starters come alive for Washington. Ariel Atkins scored 11 points, going a perfect 3 for 3 from behind the arc. Brittney Sykes and Emily Engstler scored a combined eight points, the highlight being Engstler's three-pointer to give the Mystics their first lead of the game.

With a seven point lead headed into the third quarter, Washington needed much more ammunition in order to close out the contest against a sharpshooting Indiana team. Forcing the visitors to six turnovers in the third quarter alone, offense evidently started to come alive again as the team scored eight fast break points. Halfway through the final quarter, things slightly took a turn for the Mystics as Indiana began to crawl back from the 17 point deficit. Momentum began to sway as the Fever's Victaria Saxton made several defensive plays, along with a shot from behind the arc to pull the Fever within a point, 92-91. With the sellout crowd on the edge of their seats, Washington desperately struggled to put the ball into the net. However, their efforts never wavered on defense as the team took home a win.

Although Washington ended the regular season on a high note in Capital One Arena, the team ultimately came up short in league standings–placing them out of playoff contention. When reflecting on the season in postgame media, Atkins stated, “I can’t talk about the perseverance of our team without talking about our bench. I honestly, to this day, feel like we have the best bench in the league.” Praising the efforts from those like Sika Koné, who led all scorers with a career high 20 points. The Spaniard also mounted seven boards and two assists, marking the first time in her career she has had 20+ points and 5+ rebounds in a game. Additionally, last night proved to be huge for arguably the best sixth player in the league, Shatori Walker-Kimbrough, as her 12 points broke the franchise record for most points scored off the bench in a season, finishing the season with 284 points and surpassing former teammate Tianna Hawkins (272, 2019 season).

The Mystics closed out the the 2024 season with the highest attendance in WNBA history with a record-breaking total of 20,711 fans in attendance at the game. This number surpassed the previous league record of 20,674 from the 1999 season, also set by Washington. Regardless of a slow start to the season, the Mystics certainly found their spark. Hitting a rhythm by end and certainly promising more to come in the future.