Shakira Austin made two free throws with 2.8 seconds remaining to snap a tie and finished with a team-high 15 points as the Washington Mystics survived a late-game charge from the visiting Chicago Sky for a 81-79 victory Tuesday at Fairfax, Va.
Sonia Citron had 13 points and Brittney Sykes and Kiki Iriafen each posted 11 points for the Mystics (9-10), who snapped a two-game skid.
Austin missed two free throws, but secured the rebound after the second attempt and ended up converting on a go-ahead shot from the low post with 21.1 seconds to play. Angel Reese countered with a pair of free throws to pull the Sky even before Austin’s final foul shots.
Reese racked up 22 points and 15 rebounds for the Sky (5-13), while Elizabeth Williams tallied 11 of her 20 points in the fourth quarter. Rachel Banham added 13 points and Ariel Atkins had 11 for Chicago.
The Sky scored eight straight points for their largest lead of the game at 70-66 with less than four minutes to play.
Citron drained a 3-pointer to put the Mystics up 75-74 with 1:36 remaining. Washington got a stop and Sykes scored before Banham’s tying 3-pointer with 46.8 seconds left.
Reese, who publicly complained about the lack of free-throw attempts after Sunday’s loss at Minnesota, went 12-for-15 on foul shots.
Banham has at least three 3s in four straight games.
Iriafen collected 10 rebounds for the Mystics.
The Sky used an 11-0 run in the third quarter to pull even at 52 as Washington went through a scoring drought of more than five minutes.
The Mystics were up 40-35 at halftime despite Reese’s first-half double-double. Aaliyah Edwards had eight points off the bench.
Washington led 22-19 after the first quarter, with 12 of its points coming from reserves.
The Sky didn’t score in the final 1:48 of the first quarter and then managed only five points in the first six minutes of the second quarter. Yet when Kia Nurse drilled a 3-pointer, they were within 34-29.
Chicago’s Kamilla Cordoso, who had a double-double in last month’s meeting, wasn’t available because of an overseas commitment.
–Field Level Media
