{"id":3679,"date":"2026-06-14T09:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-06-14T09:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dbltakesports.com\/?p=3679"},"modified":"2026-06-14T04:48:38","modified_gmt":"2026-06-14T04:48:38","slug":"dcs-new-hope-is-starting-to-look-like-reality-for-the-mystics","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dbltakesports.com\/index.php\/2026\/06\/14\/dcs-new-hope-is-starting-to-look-like-reality-for-the-mystics\/","title":{"rendered":"&#8216;DC&#8217;s New Hope&#8217; Is Starting to Look Like Reality for the Mystics"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Just a few hours before Sonia Citron delivered a game-winning buzzer-beater, fans walking into CareFirst Arena were handed a reminder of where the Washington Mystics believe this franchise is headed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The giveaway item featured the Mystics&#8217; young core on the cover of<a href=\"https:\/\/slamonline.com\/\" title=\"\"> SLAM magazine<\/a> under a bold headline: &#8220;DC&#8217;s New Hope.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>By the end of the night, that headline felt less like a prediction and more like a glimpse of the future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Citron&#8217;s fadeaway jumper as time expired lifted Washington to an 86-85 victory over the Toronto Tempo, capping one of the most memorable wins of the season. She finished with 17 points, while rookie Lauren Betts recorded a career-high 18 points on an efficient 8-of-9 shooting performance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For a Mystics team that has spent much of the season <a href=\"https:\/\/dbltakesports.com\/index.php\/2026\/05\/28\/mystics-continue-showing-promise-despite-early-season-ups-and-downs\/\" title=\"\">learning difficult lessons in close games<\/a>, Friday represented something different.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It represented growth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">The Mystics have been on the wrong side of a few close games this season, but this time they found a way to finish.<br><br>I asked Sonia Citron what tonight\u2019s win does for the team\u2019s confidence.<br><br>\u201cWe\u2019re happy we could learn from a win and don\u2019t have to learn from a loss again.\u201d\u2026 <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/DcztMFB1Cf\">pic.twitter.com\/DcztMFB1Cf<\/a><\/p>&mdash; Carita Parks (@CaritaCParks) <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/CaritaCParks\/status\/2065631445482144232?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">June 13, 2026<\/a><\/blockquote> <script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.x.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n\n\n\n<p>Toronto erased a double-digit deficit and briefly grabbed the lead in the final seconds after Brittney Sykes converted a layup with 11.1 seconds remaining. Earlier in the season, that might have been the moment Washington let another game slip away. Instead, the Mystics responded. With one possession remaining, Citron delivered the biggest shot of her young professional career.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The significance of the moment extended beyond a single win.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Washington entered the season with one of the youngest rosters in the WNBA. The organization has openly embraced a long-term vision built around developing young talent while remaining competitive in the present. On Friday, that vision showed tangible signs of progress.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Citron has consistently looked like one of the league&#8217;s most polished players, but her game-winner demonstrated something that statistics cannot fully capture: comfort in the moment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Betts&#8217; performance may have been equally important.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>With Kiki Iriafen sidelined, Betts took advantage of increased opportunities and delivered the most productive game of her professional career. Questions have surrounded how quickly the No. 4 overall pick would grow into a larger role, but Friday offered a reminder of why the Mystics were so high on her potential.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>After the game, Double Take Sports asked Citron and Betts what it meant to be featured on a SLAM cover carrying the words &#8220;DC&#8217;s New Hope.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;It was cool to do that with my teammates,&#8221; Citron said. &#8220;I feel like you grow up seeing SLAM all the time, so obviously that was super special. But I think it just speaks to what we&#8217;re building here in D.C.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Betts echoed her sentiment: &#8220;To be brand new and to be on a SLAM cover with my amazing teammates, I&#8217;m just very, very grateful to be here.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-x wp-block-embed-x\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<div class=\"embed-x\"><blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">The Mystics latest giveaway featured Sonia Citron and Lauren Betts on the cover of <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/SLAMonline?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@SLAMonline<\/a> with the headline \u201cDC\u2019s New Hope.\u201d<br><br>After standout performances, I asked what that recognition means.<br><br>\u201cIt speaks to what we\u2019re building here in D.C\u2026it\u2019s special.\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/xVNL3djy9v\">pic.twitter.com\/xVNL3djy9v<\/a><\/p>&mdash; Carita Parks (@CaritaCParks) <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/CaritaCParks\/status\/2065802558854099348?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">June 13, 2026<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.x.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/div>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>One game does not define a rebuild. One buzzer-beater does not guarantee future success.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But on a night when the Mystics&#8217; young stars delivered on the court and reflected on the expectations surrounding them off it, the organization&#8217;s vision became easier to see.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For one night, at least, Washington&#8217;s future looked very much like its present.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe title=\"Sonia Citron on Game-Winner, Lauren Betts on Career Night | Mystics Postgame\" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/2aQsncyjthc?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Sonia Citron&#8217;s game-winning buzzer-beater and Lauren Betts&#8217; career night gave new meaning to a recent SLAM cover featuring the Mystics&#8217; young core. We take a closer look at why &#8220;DC&#8217;s New Hope&#8221; may be more than just a headline.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":3680,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[67],"tags":[29,41,102,26],"class_list":["post-3679","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-mystics","tag-features","tag-home-page-carousel","tag-washington-mystics","tag-wnba"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/dbltakesports.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/SoniaBuzzerBeater.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"post_mailing_queue_ids":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dbltakesports.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3679","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dbltakesports.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dbltakesports.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dbltakesports.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dbltakesports.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3679"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/dbltakesports.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3679\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3681,"href":"https:\/\/dbltakesports.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3679\/revisions\/3681"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dbltakesports.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3680"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dbltakesports.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3679"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dbltakesports.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3679"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dbltakesports.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3679"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}