Balanced-scoring Mystics ease past slumping Mercury

Sonia Citron scored 19 points to lead five Washington players in double figures as the visiting Mystics downed the struggling Phoenix Mercury 94-84 on Tuesday.

Citron also had nine assists for Washington (23-15), which has won 11 of its last 14 games. Kiki Iriafen had 18 points and 10 rebounds. Shakira Austin finished with 16 points and six rebounds, and Michaela Onyenwere and Lauren Betts each had 10 points.

Phoenix (13-25) took its sixth loss in seven games despite getting 19 points apiece from Natasha Mack and Kahleah Copper. Mack, whose scoring total was a career high, added eight rebounds, three blocked shots and three steals. Alyssa Thomas finished with 16 points and 10 assists.

Kelsey Plum, out the previous three games with a calf injury, made her home debut for the Mercury after she was acquired in a trade with the Los Angeles Sparks on Aug. 2. She finished with 10 points in 17 minutes off the bench, though she shot just 4 of 12.

Maddy Westbeld, a former Chicago Sky player who signed a rest-of-season contract with Phoenix on Aug. 19, made her Mercury debut. She failed to score in nine minutes.

The Mercury were playing their first game since agreeing to a contract buyout with two-time WNBA champion DeWanna Bonner on Monday. The move was made so Bonner, 39, could be with a playoff contender in what might be her last postseason appearance. She is a 17-year WNBA veteran.

Washington took control of the game toward the end of the first quarter, closing on a 17-2 run to establish a 24-15 lead.

The Mystics finished the second quarter on a 14-2 run to carry a 51-33 advantage into halftime.

Washington shot 59.4% from the field in the first half, led by the shooting of Iriafen, Austin, Citron and Betnijah Laney-Hamilton (combined 36 points on a 13-of-20 performance from the field).

Plum's 10 points in the third quarter helped Phoenix close the gap to 72-58 with 47 seconds left in the period.

Betts responded with a three-point play. Washington held a 17-point lead entering the fourth quarter and kept a double-digit margin the remainder of the game.

--Field Level Media