The Washington Mystics entered the WNBA’s FIBA break with a playoff spot already secured and some momentum behind them.
The question was whether that momentum would still be there when they returned nearly three weeks later.
Thursday night provided a pretty convincing answer.
Washington rolled past the Chicago Sky 110-80 in its first game since Aug. 28, improving to 25-16 with three games remaining in the regular season. Shakira Austin led the way with 20 points, while Kiki Iriafen finished with 18 points and 11 rebounds. All five Mystics starters scored in double figures.
Before the break, Austin acknowledged that returning after such an unusual stretch without WNBA games could require some adjustment.
“I don’t think there’s concern. I think it’s just the reality of the situation,” Austin told Double Take Sports following a recent practice. “We are aiming to go out there and be better than where we left off. But we also understand it might be a little bit of rust to gel everything back together and just to get that rhythm again.”
There wasn’t much visible rust against Chicago.
Washington scored at least 24 points in every quarter and pulled away with a 32-point third period before holding Chicago to just 12 points in the fourth. The Mystics shot 55 percent from the field and turned 16 Sky turnovers into 22 points.
Austin also made history in the win. Her opening-minute layup gave her the Mystics’ single-season scoring record, surpassing the previous mark of 657 points set by Sonia Citron last season.
Iriafen reached a milestone of her own. Her four offensive rebounds gave her 115 this season, setting a new franchise single-season record, while her 18-point, 11-rebound performance marked her 21st double-double of the year.
Georgia Amoore and Michaela Onyenwere each added 12 points, while Cotie McMahon scored 11 as Washington produced a balanced offensive effort despite Citron being unavailable for personal reasons.
For Austin, the focus coming out of the break was less about immediately being perfect and more about making the right decisions possession by possession.
“Our focus is, I think, just keeping our mental as fresh as possible so that it’s not necessarily the physical part that we have to get up to par with,” Austin said. “It’s just making the right plays every possession. So I think that’ll carry us far.”
Against Chicago, that approach carried Washington to its largest margin of victory since returning from the break, and kept the team moving in the same direction it was headed before play stopped.
The Mystics now turn their attention to the Indiana Fever on Sunday afternoon. With the postseason already secured and seeding still in play, Washington has three regular-season games remaining to continue building rhythm before the playoffs begin Sept. 27.