The Washington Mystics edged past the Dallas Wings 96-92 on Wednesday, erasing a 20-point deficit. However, the win wasn’t just a case of the Mystics figuring out the Wings late in the second half and then going on to win. As one of the Mystics’ heroes of the game revealed through the photo she posted on social media, the Dallas Wings may have underestimated the depth of Washington’s squad.
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After the game, McMahon shared a picture of the Wings’ gameboard, which had notes on every major Mystics player, well, except McMahon. That omission turned very costly for Dallas.
“Shoulda put me on that scouting report,” she captioned her story.
Rookie Cotie McMahon scored her season-high 18 points, with 10 of those points coming in the vital fourth quarter. She made a crucial three-point play with just three minutes left on the clock, giving the Mystics their first lead of the game. Sonia Citron followed up that shot, extending the lead to 93-88 with 1:12 left.
The Wings led by a healthy margin of 59-44 at half-time. The Mystics, who were underdogs coming into the game, continued to chase as the gap widened to 76-56 in the third quarter. Then the momentum started shifting late in the third.
With 3:38 remaining in the fourth, the Mystics went on a 12-0 run to tie it at 86-86. Shakira Austin added 27 points and 13 rebounds as the Mystics held Dallas to just 12 points in the fourth quarter and outscored the Wings 52-33 in the second half.
At 17-12, the Washington Mystics are showing a resurgence as they extend their winning streak to five games, a feat they have not achieved since 2019. And McMahon is enjoying a good start to life in Washington. She is averaging 6.5 points, 3.0 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 0.5 steals per game this season. She is converting an impressive 39.6% of her shots from the field, emerging as a key rotational piece in this Mystics setup.
McMahon is part of their young offensive core, which is evolving rapidly into a push for a playoff spot. The Mystics have shown that teams who underestimate them because they had a 12-12 record at one point this season may regret it when the final whistle sounds. However, despite their recent success, one question remains.
Can the Washington Mystics make it to the playoffs?
The Mystics are currently eighth in the standings. After their win against the Wings, they have now defeated every team currently sitting in the top eight of the standings this season, as per All Things DC MD VA.
The trio of Sonia Citron, Shakira Austin, and Kiki Iriafen has evolved into one of the most potent offenses in the league. All three are averaging over 15 points per game this season, stepping up their efficiency drastically.
After many permutations, it seems that head coach Sydney Johnson has found a lineup that works for them. Relying on Citron, Austin, Iriafen, Michaela Onyenwere, and rookie standout Cotie McMahon, they have built a style of play that mixes defensive rigidity with offensive prowess, as this team hasn’t scored fewer than 81 points during this winning streak.
However, a glaring point guard dilemma remains, and offensive inefficiency caused by an incredibly young roster is also an issue. Drafted guard Georgia Amoore is still working back from a pre-rookie ACL tear, and despite playing 29 minutes against the Wings and contributing 12 points, lacks physicality. Other options like Rori Harmon or Lucy Olsen are there, but none of them have locked down this position for the Mystics.
While they dominate inside the paint, Washington’s perimeter game is almost non-existent. They rank dead last in the league in 3-point percentage at a dismal 29.3%, as per ESPN.
So before we can start talking about upsets, the Mystics will need to figure out a way to solve all these issues as they take on the Atlanta Dream next. The Dream have found their own success this season, and from being outside the top five ahead of the All-Star Break, have climbed the standings to become the No. 4 team in the league.