The Washington Mystics bounced back from a 22-turnover performance against the Connecticut Sun on Friday night with a dramatic come-from-behind 124-123 quadruple overtime victory over the Portland Fire at CareFirst Arena on Sunday afternoon.
Sonia Citron’s 14 fourth-quarter points sparked Washington’s fourth-quarter comeback, en route to her 32-point career high night.
Washington raced out to a 12-point lead in the opening quarter before Portland answered with a surge of its own, erasing the deficit
and taking a 31-28 lead by the end of the quarter. The Mystics battled back to tie the game at 45 late in the second quarter, but the Fire closed the half on a strong run to carry a 55-48 advantage into the break.
Second-year forward Kiki Iriafen led Washington with 13 first-half points, while sixth-year forward Michaela Onyenwere added 10. Defensively, 6-foot-5 center Shakira Austin provided a spark just before halftime, blocking Serah Williams twice on the same possession in the closing seconds to keep Portland’s lead at seven.
Washington also suffered an injury scare when second-year guard Georgia Amoore went down with an apparent non-contact lower-body injury with 5:53 remaining in the second quarter. Amoore headed directly to the locker room and was ruled out at halftime with right knee soreness after recording two points and three assists in 12 minutes.
The Mystics continued to chip away in the second half, cutting Portland’s lead to five entering the fourth quarter. Onyenwere remained a steady offensive presence, knocking down her fourth three-pointer of the game while scoring seven points in the third quarter, and rookie Alicia Flórez provided a lift off the bench with four points, three steals and a block in Amoore’s absence.
After trailing for most of the night, Washington finally seized momentum in the fourth quarter behind Sonia Citron. The second-year guard poured in 14 of her 23 points in the final period, helping the Mystics erase the deficit and take an 87-84 lead with seconds remaining.
But after Florez missed two potential game-sealing free throws, Portland capitalized on its final possession as Carla Leite banked in a fadeaway three-pointer at the buzzer to tie the game at 87 and force overtime. Leite finished with a team-high 31-points for the Fire.
Late in the extra period, Onyenwere buried her sixth three-pointer of the night from well beyond the arc to give Washington what appeared to be a decisive 99-96 lead with 24.3 seconds remaining in overtime.
But Portland answered immediately, as Leite drilled another game-tying three just six seconds later to even the score at 99.
Citron had one final opportunity to take a lead, but her contested three-pointer with three seconds remaining rattled off the rim, sending Washington to its second overtime period of the night.
In the second overtime, Citron later delivered a clutch driving layup with 14.9 seconds left to tie the game at 103 and push it to a third extra period. Washington briefly held a two-point edge in triple overtime, but Bridget Carleton answered with a 15-foot turnaround jumper with three seconds remaining to tie it at 116 and force a fourth overtime.
Both teams struggled to separate in quadruple overtime, going scoreless for the first 2:25 before fatigue set in and Portland saw Carleton foul out. Barker and Onyenwere then traded baskets to keep it tied at 118.
With 1:37 left in the fourth overtime, Iriafen became the first Mystic to foul out, finishing with 27 points, 11 rebounds, and six assists in 48 minutes. The performance marked her third-consecutive double-double.
Citron then put Washington ahead 124–122 with a four-foot layup and 21.4 seconds remaining, forcing Portland to play without the shot clock. The Fire got a chance late, and Leite was fouled and sent to the charity stripe. She connected on the first, and missed the second free throw, but Portland grabbed the offensive rebound and called timeout with 3.4 seconds left.
On the final possession of the game, Leite had a chance to win it, but her floater with 0.5 seconds remaining missed, and Washington survived a quadruple-overtime thriller.
Citron finished with 32 points, Onyenwere scored 30, and Iriafen added 27, with the trio accounting for 89 of Washington’s 124 points. Austin added nine points and 13 rebounds. The Mystics improved to 2–1 in overtime games this season, earning their first double-overtime win of the year.
Sunday’s matchup marked just the second quadruple-overtime game in WNBA history, with Washington also involved in the only other one – the Mystics’ 2001 win over the Seattle Storm.
After a much needed four-day break, Washington will host the Atlanta Dream on Thursday, July 2, in the second game of its four-game homestand. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET at CareFirst Arena.
