Shakira Austin, Mystics hold on late to stifle Dream

Shakira Austin had a double-double, four teammates scored in double figures and the host Washington Mystics won their sixth consecutive game by holding off the Atlanta Dream 79-74 on Friday night.

Austin finished with a team-high 21 points and 11 rebounds, Kiki Iriafen scored 15, Sonia Citron had 14, Cotie McMahon had 11 and Cassandre Prosper added 10 for the Mystics (18-12).

Allisha Gray scored 26 and Rhyne Howard added 19 for the Dream (19-12).

Gray scored five points and Howard added four as Atlanta trimmed Washington's 12-point halftime lead to 47-39 early in the third quarter. The Mystics scored the next five points before Gray made the Dream's next two field goals.

Lauren Betts, who finished with 11 rebounds, made her only two field goals of the game and Prosper added four points of her own to help Washington extend its lead to 62-46 at the end of the third quarter.

Howard made three 3-pointers during the first 4:08 of the fourth quarter to pull Atlanta within 67-60, but Austin made two baskets and assisted on Prosper's layup to give the Mystics an 11-point lead.

Washington missed 4 of 10 free throws in the final 3:12 and the Dream closed within 77-74 with 32 seconds remaining, but Austin scored on a drive with 9.7 seconds left to complete the scoring.

The Dream scored the first three points of the game before going cold. Citron scored seven points during a 13-0 run that gave the Mystics an 11-point lead. Howard's 3-pointer gave Atlanta its first points in 3 1/2 minutes and its first field goal in nearly five minutes, but Prosper's layup made her the fifth Washington player to score and Austin followed with a layup for a 17-6 lead.

Angel Reese, who finished with 16 rebounds made a field goal to complete a 7-0 Dream run before Iriafen's layup gave the Mystics a 19-13 lead at the end of the first quarter.

The Dream's Brionna Jones made a layup to start the second-quarter scoring, but Washington increased the lead to eight points. Gray scored seven straight Atlanta points to trim the lead to 27-24.

The Mystics scored the next five points, but Gray made a 3-pointer to give her 10 in the period. McMahon scored seven points during a 10-3 run that gave Washington a 42-30 halftime lead.

--Field Level Media