After Georgia Amoore’s career night propelled her squad to a 94-84 win in Phoenix on Thursday, the Washington Mystics returned Friday night for a road tilt against the Los Angeles Sparks.
Washington led entering the fourth quarter, but the Sparks’ late surge proved too much as the Mystics lost 88-82.
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The Mystics overcame a 15-2 start in Thursday’s win. Their start to Friday’s contest was much better thanks to Sonia Citron, who tallied 10 points on 4-for-4 FG in the first quarter.
Shakira Austin added seven points as the sides entered the second frame tied at 23. Then Kiki Iriafen got active.
The second-year forward scored seven straight Mystics points, including a 3-pointer, to extend Washington’s lead. An Amoore triple and another Iriafen bucket pushed that advantage to double digits as halftime neared.
Citron closed the half the same way she started it: with a flurry of buckets to give her 15 points on 6-for-10 FG. Washington led 51-40 at halftime.
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The Sparks cut into Washington’s lead behind Nneka Ogwumike’s efficient shooting. Halfway through the third quarter, the 11-time All-Star had tallied 24 points on 11-for-15 FG to trim Los Angeles’ deficit to just one.
Crypto.com Arena rose to its feet as Los Angeles briefly took the lead. But like Thursday night, Amoore had the answer. The second-year guard drilled 3-pointers on consecutive possessions to give Washington a 68-65 lead entering the fourth quarter.
Citron continued her strong performance with a triple and a layup to open the fourth. But Los Angeles held firm, answering with an 8-0 run to take an 80-76 lead.
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After a Lauren Betts bucket, Rae Burell added five more points to extend the Sparks’ advantage to 85-78 with 2:21 remaining. Burell added three more to ice an impressive win for Los Angeles and snap Washington’s three-game winning streak.
The Mystics fell to 24-16 on the season. Citron finished with a team-high 22 points on 9-for-18 FG. Iriafen and Austin both tallied double-doubles.
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