Sonia Citron's fateful fadeaway helped the Washington Mystics put up a long-sought alternate ending in their recent slew of close games.
Sonia Citron finally granted her Washington Mystics some defense against the dark arts of clutch time.
Citron sank a game-winning double as time expired in the Mystics' Friday fracas against the Toronto Tempo, providing the victorious difference in an 86-85 victory. Citron's fateful fadeaway was a refreshing change of pace at the end of Washington's first quarter.
The Mystics (5-6) were four days removed from Caitlin Clark delivering capital heartbreak and three of their six losses have come five points or fewer. Further anguish seemed to be conjured on Friday but the sophomore sensation helped flip the script at the perfect time.
"There have been plenty of games this season where we've kind of lost it at the last second," Citron recalled in the postgame aftermath. "But I think, as a team, we've just got to learn not to put ourselves in that position. We were up a good amount in the second half ... There's just a lot to learn from that. [But] we're happy that we can learn from a win and we don't have to learn from a loss again."
Go Fourth
Youth in revolt is the theme of this Mystics season, one they doubled down on with the arrivals of Lauren Betts, Angela Dugalic, and Cotie McMahon toward the top of the last draft. The UCLA Bruin sleuth joined 26-year-old UCLA assistant coach and veteran free agent arrival Michaela Onyenwere and the prior draft's yields Citron and Kiki Iriafen, who did not play on Friday due to an ankle injury.
Washington has been criticized for acting his age toward the end of games in the early going. It notably took the conference-leading New York Liberty to overtime back on May 10 but shot 2-of-8 and lost three turnovers in the extra five minutes. Citron free throws gave them a late lead against the Indiana Fever on Monday but Clark's vanishing spell on the other end rendered that moot.
Head coach Sydney Johnson, a youngster in his own right as he works through his second season at a WNBA helm, felt that being in such situation in the first place was a step in the right direction after Washington was one of the first teams left out of last year's postseason party.
"“It’s hard to win in the W, and playing all the way through," Johnson noted, per Noah Trister of the Associated Press. ""We’ve had moments where we’re on the ropes, and to see us show that Mystics DNA, the togetherness, the toughness. We don’t even get to that moment if we don’t show who we are."
“I think I might have the best job in the W. It’s just really fulfilling," Johnson continued. "We know the challenge that’s in front of us. Talk a lot about our youth, our inexperience, but we also talk about our player development, the relationships that we’re building with our players,” Johnson said. “To see that carry over into the games, it’s really fulfilling. We certainly want wins to go along with that, and we’re fighting and scrapping for that.”
SONIA CITRON WINS IT FOR WASHINGTON AT THE BUZZER!!!!! 🫨🚨 pic.twitter.com/USijejT1HA
— Women’s Hoops Network (@WomensHoops_USA) June 13, 2026
Irish Tries Are Smiling
Similar pratfalls nearly came to pass on Friday: fueled by an 18-point period from Marina Mabrey, the Tempo erased a deficit that fell just short of 20 tallies and even took the lead on a driving double from ex-Mystic Brittney Sykes.
But Washington left their reversal of fortune in the hands of the Notre Dame alumna Citron and didn't come to regret it. Citron was able to secure the ball following a chaotic late jump between Betts and Sykes and launched with no time to spare. The subsequent sink ignited a capital celebration, as the Mystics avoided their first three-game losing streak of the season.
The shot could well help change the course of the Mystics' season but Citron opted to instead view as part of a new normal she's helping form in the national's capital. Staying grounded in victory, Citron view the game-winner as, at most, a bit of a reprieve on a night where was 6-of-16 from the field, including 1-of-6 from three.
"I think I get my confidence from the work I put in every day at practice and with the reps," the shooter said. "Obviously that [shot] feels good but I don't think that necessarily gives confidence because there was a bunch of shots I missed before that. So it shouldn't have really even come to that. Obviously it feels good. But I wouldn't say that's what gives me confidence."
You Betts!
Even if Citron's sling fell short, Washington had at least a quiet cause for celebration: with Iriafen ailing, Betts put up the best game of her infantile career, scoring 18 points on 8-of-9 from the field. The most No. 4 pick of the WNBA Draft had a perfect quartet over the latter 20 and was credited with the assist on Citron's heroics.
"There was so much build-up into that tip, I was like 'can we just get the ball up so we can score?'" Betts recalled with a sheepish smile in the end. "I'm just so happy [Citron] caught it. Those are all the emotions I had."
"I just remembered, if Lauren tips it to me, I've got to put it up, and she did a great job winning the tip," Citron said. "I think she picked her spots perfectly. She was ready when we passed it to her. She was aggressive, she read the double-teams right, when to pass it up, when to take it herself. But what you guys just saw is what we see every day in practice. The whole team, the coaches, the organization, we have so much faith in her and she continues to put in the work. So we're not surprised that she played like this. That's Lauren."
With Iriafen back and Shakira Austin emerging as one of of the W's most pleasant statistical surprises, Betts has been a high-profile spectator for a good bit of the Mystics' antics. Friday, however, was the best showcase of her pro potential to date and is quite the ammunition and talking point in making the case for Washington's sense of youth, potential, and fun.
"We knew with Kiki out that she would have more opportunities," Johnson said on Friday, praising Betts' poise in the late jumpball situation and her willingness to "meet the moment." "She took full advantage. On every catch, she's not just putting her head down. She's reading the game and seeing if the double team's coming. She's going into her moves. We just thought she earned that moment. More than a few times down the stretch, we were calling her number."
"I think [this season] is centering ourselves on what we're trying to do big picture, and that is to take one of the youngest teams in the history of the league across the finish line," Johnson continued. "That demands that we're there for them day in and day out in terms of player development and that these games are part of that growth. But [it's also] not to lose perspective of that biggest win, which is development, development, development, individually, as well as a team."
The Mystics will look to keep their good fortunes rolling on Sunday when they face a mid-afternoon conference clash against the aforementioned Liberty (3 p.m. ET, Monumental Sports Network/NBA TV).
Geoff Magliocchetti is on X @GeoffJMags
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