WASHINGTON — Sika Kone achieved a career-high with 20 points as the Washington Mystics secured a 92-91 victory over Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever on Thursday night in front of a record-breaking crowd of 20,711, marking the largest audience in WNBA history.
The Mystics (14-26) entered the final regular season game with a chance to clinch a playoff spot, but their hopes were dashed when the Atlanta Dream (15-25) secured the No. 8 seed with a win over New York.
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Ariel Atkins and Emily Engstler both scored 17 points for Washington, while Brittney Sykes and Shatori Walker-Kimbrough added 12 points each.
Indiana (20-20) had already secured the No. 6 seed and opted to rest their starters in the second half. Clark, the standout rookie, recorded eight points, eight assists, and five rebounds in 20 minutes, while Kelsey Mitchell had four points in just five minutes of play. This marked the first time Clark was held to fewer than ten points since June 13.
Kristy Wallace led the Fever with 17 points, preparing them to face the No. 3 seed Connecticut in a three-game series starting on Sunday. NaLyssa Smith contributed 16 points, while Aliyah Boston and Katie Lou Samuelson both scored 10 points.
The record attendance was made possible by moving the game to Capital One Arena, a change from the Mystics’ usual home at Entertainment & Sports Arena, which has a capacity of 4,200.
Washington struggled in the fourth quarter, shooting just 3 of 15, but the Fever, playing mostly reserves, missed crucial shots in the final minute despite Wallace’s score bringing them to 92-91 with 1:13 left to play.
Samuelson missed a shot with 7.7 seconds remaining, and although Grace Berger grabbed the offensive rebound, she missed a short jumper as the buzzer sounded.
The Fever dominated the start of the game with a 20-2 lead as the Mystics missed their first 10 shots. Kone’s three-point play at the 4:29 mark ended the drought, bringing the score to 24-22 by the end of the first quarter.
At halftime, the Mystics led 52-45, shooting an impressive 60% from the field in the second quarter.
Washington continued their strong performance in the second half, going on a 12-4 run to extend their lead to 82-66 by the end of the third quarter.
Despite securing a playoff spot earlier, Mitchell played in her 233rd regular-season game before appearing in a postseason game, matching Jia Perkins who achieved the same before the 2011 playoffs.
