San Francisco, CA – Washington came into Chase Center Monday night and did what no team had been able to do in nearly a month, which is beat the Golden State Valkyries. The Mystics dominated the fourth quarter 36-24 to pull away for a 90-82 win, snapping Golden State’s nine-game winning streak and splitting the two-game home series.
Kiki Iriafen was the story for Washington, finishing with 23 points and 12 rebounds on an efficient 8-of-12 shooting. She owned the paint all night, converting six of nine attempts inside and drawing six fouls. Shakira Austin added a second consecutive double-double with 15 points and 15 rebounds, giving the Mystics a physical presence Golden State never solved – Washington out-rebounded the Valkyries 49-28 and outscored them 40-32 in the paint.
Kaitlyn Chen led Golden State with a career-high 20 points on 8-of-13 shooting and added six assists. Kayla Thornton was sharp from deep again, going 4-of-7 from three for 15 points. But the Valkyries couldn’t get stops when it mattered most, allowing Washington to shoot 52.5 percent for the game and pour in 36 in the final period to seal it.
“I don’t think enough of us showed up today,” Burton said postgame. “Credit to Washington – they played a great game and they played to the end and we didn’t.”
Coach Natalie Nakase took responsibility for the team’s inability to close. “We’ve been good in those situations because we talk about time and score, not fouling and not giving up threes,” Nakase said. “Unfortunately we just didn’t do that.”
Gabby Williams, who carried Golden State offensively in Saturday’s win, struggled to find her footing and finished with just eight points on 4-of-12 shooting. Both teams now head into the All-Star break before meeting again July 29th in Phoenix.
