Fairfax, Va. — Brittney Sykes scored 18 points, and Shakira Austin added 16 points along with eight rebounds to lift the Washington Mystics past the injury-depleted Las Vegas Aces, 70-68, on Thursday night. The Mystics finished the game on a 12-2 run to complete the comeback.
Trailing 66-58 with under four minutes remaining, Washington clawed back. Austin gave the Mystics their first lead since the opening quarter by converting a putback off an offensive rebound with 39.8 seconds remaining, making it 69-68.
The Aces had three opportunities to reclaim the lead but came up empty on each possession. With 4.3 seconds left, Sykes was fouled and made one of two free throws to extend the lead to two. On the final play, Las Vegas advanced the ball to midcourt after a timeout. Jackie Young received the inbound pass, drove hard into the lane, but her layup attempt rolled off the rim after Austin rotated over for help defense.
Kiki Iriafen chipped in with 12 points and eight rebounds for Washington (10-10), which has now won four consecutive home games.
Las Vegas (9-11) was led by Jewell Loyd, who scored 20 points, while Chelsea Gray contributed 13. The Aces went on a 7-0 run to close the first half, capped by Loyd hitting a contested three-pointer at the buzzer — their first made three after 14 consecutive misses — to take a 40-27 lead into the break.
The Aces were without reigning WNBA MVP A’ja Wilson, who missed the game due to a right wrist injury sustained in Tuesday’s loss to the New York Liberty. Wilson, a three-time MVP, underwent an MRI, though the team has yet to release the results.
