Trailing by 20 points in the first half and 15 at halftime, the Washington Mystics closed the game on a 22-6 run to defeat the Dallas Wings. The comeback not only extended Washington’s winning streak to five games, its longest since 2019, but also reflected the identity the team has spent the season building.
Ahead of the Mystics previous meeting with Dallas, head coach Sydney Johnson reflected on the team’s first matchup in May, when the Wings handed Washington a 92-69 loss. At that point in the season, he said, the Mystics were still figuring out who they were. Now, he believes they’re closer.
Ahead of Washington’s previous meeting with Dallas, Johnson reflected on the teams’ first matchup in May, when the Wings handed the Mystics a 92-69 loss. At that point in the season, he said, the Mystics were still figuring out who they were. Now, he believes they’re closer.
That message has been reinforced by the players. When asked how she would describe the Mystics identity, Shakira Austin emphasized their physical, inside-out style of basketball built on trust and defense.
“I think it’s clear we’re an inside-out team,” Austin said. “We’re physical, we’re aggressive on both ends. We carry our defense and we just make the right reads.”
Austin said the Mystics have developed trust throughout the lineup, allowing the offense to play through the post while teammates make the right reads when defenses collapse.
“But for the most part,” Austin added, “I think our identity needs to stay the most dependent on the defensive side.”
Following Washington’s fourth straight win last week, rookie Sonia Citron credited the team’s success to staying locked in defensively, making good decisions and limiting turnovers.
Wednesday’s comeback offered another example.
Rather than searching for a dramatic halftime adjustment, the Mystics focused on returning to the habits that had fueled their recent success.
When asked about the halftime message after Washington erased a 15-point deficit, Cotie McMahon told Double Take Sports it wasn’t complicated.
“It was very straight to the point,” McMahon said. “We knew what we were lacking. Honestly, it was just the little things like effort, sticking to our principles, making sure we’re locked in on personnel… making sure we get back into the flow of Mystics basketball.”
She added, “We knew what we needed to do.”
Those comments echoed the themes Johnson, Austin and Citron have emphasized throughout the winning streak.
The Mystics didn’t point to one speech, one adjustment or one player. They pointed back to their identity.
A week after Johnson said Washington was getting closer to knowing who it is, the Mystics backed up those words with their biggest comeback of the season.