NEW YORK (AP) — Kiki Iriafen scored 20 points, including a go-ahead layup with 27 seconds left to give the Washington Mystics an 86-83 win over New York on Friday night, snapping the Liberty’s eight-game winning streak.
With the game tied at 83, Iriafen was found under the basket by Sonia Citron for a lay-in. Breanna Stewart tried to even the score but missed a contested layup with 14 seconds left. Iriafen then hit oen of two free throws two seconds later.
New York (11-5) had two chances to tie the game, but Sabrina Ionescu and Satou Sabally’s 3-pointers were both off the mark.
Iriafen had missed the last three games while dealing with an ankle injury she suffered against Indiana on June 8.
The victory snapped a 10-game regular-season losing streak that the Mystics (7-7) had against New York. The Mystics’ last regular-season win came in the finale of the 2023 season.
Leonie Fiebich scored 19 points and Stewart had 16 points, 10 rebounds and six assists for New York.
Trailing 77-71 midway through the fourth quarter, Kiki Iriafen scored six straight points to start a 10-2 run that gave the Mystics a 81-79 lead with 1:33 left. Ionescu tied the game a few moments later before Citron’s two free throws put Washington back in front by two with 1:09 left.
Sabally made two free throws with 48.6 seconds left to tie the game at 83.
The teams played last Sunday and New York won 86-64, but the Mystics were missing Iriafen for that game.
New York used its depth in the first half to keep pace with Washington. Satou Sabally and Han Xu each had eight points as the Liberty reserves scored 20 of the team’s 43 points. New York 43-39 at the half.
Up next
Mystics: Washington starts a home-and-home with the Lynx in Minnesota on Sunday.
Liberty: New York begins a four-game road trip in Los Angeles on Sunday. The game against Sparks is rematch of the first WNBA game 30 years ago.
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