Tell me if this sounds familiar: that feeling when you are just about to have that perfect bite after a long day, and someone (literally) snatches it right out of your hands? Brutal, right? Congratulations, you now know exactly how the Wings feel right now. That perfectly tied score of 84-84 at the end of a hard-fought 4th quarter slipped away, along with Dallas’ hopes to have their first hat-trick of the season, one rebound at a time. But if there’s anyone who’s been here before and knows how to bounce back, it’s Arike Ogunbowale.

Rewinding to her days at Notre Dame, Arike had a crucial free throw that could have tied a national championship game. But, she missed it. Naturally, you’d expect her to break down, but it wasn’t the case. She handled the moment rather maturely. “Kobe, LeBron, all of them, they’ve missed some important shots in their lifetime,” Ogunbowale told the New York Times after that loss. “It’s a part of the game, you know? I’m not going to be able to make every shot.” That was then though, and whether she carried that same calm into this loss? Let’s just say that the silence might have spoken louder this time.

“Arike, what were some of the things that you saw down the stretch: fourth quarter and overtime? You know, lots of, big plays went both ways, but what were some of your main takeaways?” an interviewer asked post the narrow 3-point loss. A deafening 6 second sigh and pause preceded her response. She opened with “Probably just rebounding,” if you paid attention to the final minutes, you already know what she’s talking about. The whole mystics squad straight up out-rebounded Dallas. Let us break it down for you…

During the fourth quarter, the Mystics came alive. At the 4:49 mark, Shakira Austin grabbed a key offensive rebound and immediately scored off it. Then there was another one with just 1 second left, she managed to keep the ball out of Dallas’s hands. Sonia Citron and Sug Sutton also secured key defensive boards. After this, overtime followed the same pattern. The Mystics pulled down 7 rebounds in 5 minutes, out of which four of them were offensive. Most importantly, Citron’s putback rebound at 0:26 set up her game-winning three with just 12 seconds left. And after Arike’s final miss at 8.1 seconds, Dallas never touched the ball again.

“Obviously, shots are going to go up, some go in, some not. But who’s going to attack the glass?” That’s a valid one to ponder upon. Under the pressure of final minutes, the players often end up missing shots. From thereon, the whole momentum shifts to “attacking the glass.” However, the Wings failed to do either, they lost the control at shooting (Arike missed a driving floater (4:34), and a deep three (1:28), and again a 32-foot three (8.1s)). Never even offensively rebounded, and just like that, Mystics managed to preserve their win-loss seesaw.

For Ogunbowale, it wasn’t just about missed shots, it was about guiding a young roster still learning how to steady itself in crunch time. Rookie Paige has leaned on Arike’s experience throughout the season, watching how she manages pressure and momentum shifts. But in this game, that calm didn’t quite land. Ogunbowale’s brief pause postgame said it all—the challenge of leading through chaos is as mental as it is physical.

Mystics’ post-win Jab at Arike Ogunbowale and Co.

The Washington Mystics had an epic 91–88 overtime victory against the Dallas Wings on Sunday. But they made waves not court but also outside of it, on social media. And it was a much deserved celebration. Because, rookie sensation Sonia Citron had the best game of her young WNBA career. She dropped a career-high 27 points and 11 rebounds and added two assists, two steals, and a block. Moreover, her clutch three-pointer with 12 seconds left sealed the win.

It was more of an exciting duel with Dallas’ rookie Paige Bueckers, who put up 20 points, nine rebounds, and seven assists on 41.2% shooting but couldn’t match Citron’s late-game magic. After the game, Citron gave credit to her teammates. “Credit to my teammates, Shakira [Austin] was getting doubled and she found me, and I’ve been struggling from the three, so I was just hoping it went in. I was just happy that it went in.” She also highlighted the team’s unselfish play later.

But the postgame comments didn’t stop there. The Mystics took a playful shot at the Wings on social media. They posted on X (formerly Twitter). “Couldn’t think of any dub puns. Guess we’ll just wing it,”  it was a sly dig at Dallas’ name and their loss. While Arike Ogunbowale struggled in crunch time, Washington’s rookies shined. Alongside Citron, even Kiki Iriafen had a strong all-around game with 19 points, seven rebounds, six assists, and five steals.

The Wings will get another shot at the Mystics when they face off again on Saturday, June 28, at the College Park Center. But for now, Washington and their rookies are letting their game (and their tweets) do the talking. And we are here for it.