Sonia Citron Challenges Paige Bueckers’ ROTY Bid Further by Levelling Caitlin Clark’s All-Time WNBA Record

There’s this hilarious story about Sonia Citron. Fresh off being named one of just three rookie All-Stars, she headed out to celebrate with her friends. At the restaurant, she had more than a few fans show up, requesting autographs and pictures. Turns out, they had mistaken her for Caitlin Clark. Sonia just laughed it off, “It’s just, it’s not me.” Well, that was then. Now, the mix-up days are over. Even Clark’s die-hards will know she is the same star rookie who tied their idol’s all-time rookie record.

The Washington Mystics rookie has been busy rewriting history. Recently, she broke the franchise’s rookie record for points in a season. After her milestone shot, the Mystics even took down the net it went through because that record had been standing since 1999, when Chamique Holdsclaw put up 525 points in 31 games. Citron passed it through 35. But as if she was gonna stop there.

With an 11-point performance against Golden State, Citron tied Caitlin Clark’s rookie mark of 35 games with 10+ points. And there’s the fact that four more games remain on the schedule. At her current average of 15.3 points per game, the odds are high that she’ll finish the regular season ahead.

Naturally, this has only fueled the Rookie of the Year debate.

All season long, Citron has been pushing Paige Bueckers with one record after another, even edging her out in head-to-head matchups. While the award winner won’t be announced just yet, Citron has already made her case, sitting 18th among all WNBA players with 15.3, plus adding 4.1 rebounds and 2.4 assists a night.

But if we have to be honest, Bueckers is still the favorite. She’s ranking fifth in the league with 18.9 points, seventh with 5.4 assists, and fourth with 1.6 steals. She’s the only rookie sitting inside the top 10 in all three categories, which makes her case hard to ignore.  She’s also doing this while trying to lift a franchise that had no major offensive support else her for most of the season, which makes her run even more historic. Funny enough, she might be on her way to create an unlikely history by becoming ROTY from the league’s worst team. 

So is Sonia really challenging Paige’s throne? Maybe not with history also being on PB’s side. But has she made this the most exciting rookie race in years? Absolutely!

And with the latest game, both rookies are now on even footing when it comes to playoffs. 

Mystics bow out of playoff hunt

It’s official, the Washington Mystics are out of the playoff race. Saturday night’s 99-62 loss to the Golden State Valkyries at Chase Center sealed the deal, dropping Washington to 16-24 on the season.The stakes were high, but instead of rising to the challenge, the Mystics looked shaky from the start. They managed just eight points in the opening quarter, then coughed up seven turnovers in the second. By halftime, they trailed 51-22, and things didn’t get much better. 

The Valkyries shot a scorching 84.6 percent in the third quarter alone, pushing the game completely out of reach. Even without starters Cecilia Zandalasini and Tiffany Hayes, Golden State dominated as Janelle Salaün dropped 20 points. Sug Sutton adding 17 on efficient shooting, and Sonia Citron chipping in 11 didn’t matter.

For Washington, this was the end of the road, but not without silver linings. Rookie Citron has been one of the bright spots all season. Fellow rookie Kiki Iriafen has also shown her potential, proving she can be a key part of the Mystics’ future. And that future looks promising. With Georgia Amoore set to join the mix next year, Washington suddenly has a young core worth building around.

All in all, this season may have ended in disappointment, but the fight the Mystics showed, led by their rookies, offers plenty of hope that better days are just around the corner.