After delivering mixed results with their 12-12 record, the Washington Mystics have had quite the resurgence, and now, with back-to-back wins over the Dallas Wings, have extended their win streak to five. While the 96-92 scoreline from Wednesday’s game may make it look like a close game, it was the Wings who dominated the first two quarters. The Mystics made a stunning comeback even after trailing by 20 points in the fourth quarter, and now Paige Bueckers and head coach Jose Fernandez have dissected the loss.
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“Look at the downhill drives. Look at transition baskets where they got out, and the PITP can be a little misleading where it’s not all post touches. Points in the paint come from a lot of elbow entries. They drove at us. We fouled. They went to the free throw line. In transition, we didn’t stop the point of attack and contain, and they got to the rim,” Fernandez said in the post-game conference.
The result feels extra harsh for the Wings, considering they started the game on a stronger note.
“It looked like they put an emphasis in the second half on stopping our transition. We played better defensively in the first half, so we got stops and were able to get up,” Paige Bueckers, who has led the Wings’ turnaround this season, told reporters.
In the second half, the Mystics outscored the Wings 52-33, and over half those points came from inside the paint. Dallas struggled to contain those inside drives, as Shakira Austin and Co. ran riot.
Austin finished the night with a dominant display, scoring 27 points and 13 rebounds, and rookie Cotie McMahon scored a season-high 18 points, 10 of them in the fourth quarter.
The game turned late in the second half. Washington still trailed the Wings 76-56 late in the third quarter before they started closing the gap. Although the Wings still held the lead going into the fourth, the Mystics went on a 12-0 run in the fourth quarter to tie it at 86-86.
McMahon completed a three-point play, and then Sonia Citron made a crucial shot to make it 93-88 with 1:12 left. Citron and Georgia Amoore each finished with 12 points for Washington, as they extended their winning streak to five games.
At 17-12, the Mystics have emerged as the dark horses in the playoff race and, just before the All-Star break, edged past two of the top 3 seeds in the Aces and the Valkyries, and now have won back-to-back games against the Wings.
It was definitely a night to forget for Paige Bueckers and Azzi Fudd as they struggled to get on the board. Bueckers finished with 17 points while converting only 6 of her 15 shots from the field, and Fudd finished with just 9 points, converting only 2 of her 8 shots from the field.
The silver lining for the Wings could be the milestone that Azzi Fudd achieved, as she is now the fastest player since 2002 to reach 50+ steals & 50+ threes.
But Coach Fernandez will look to address these gaps soon, as the race for playoff spots is getting tighter, with the 19-12 Wings taking on the third-seed Golden State Valkyries next.