Mystics Shock Aces 100-99 as Shakira Austin’s Late And-1 Stuns Defending Champs

Shakira Austin turned a nine-point deficit into a signature win, and A’ja Wilson’s 38 points weren’t enough to stop it.

Quick take:

• Result: Washington Mystics 100, Las Vegas Aces 99
• Why: Austin’s put-back and-1 with 12.8 seconds left capped a furious Mystics rally after trailing by nine with four minutes to go
• The number to watch: Washington outrebounded Las Vegas 34-24, including 12-4 on the offensive glass

Las Vegas came into CareFirst Arena as the defending champs and heavy road favorites, and for most of the night it looked like business as usual. The Aces led 87-78 with just over four minutes to play. Then Washington, the league’s lowest-scoring team at 79.6 points per game, found exactly the kind of finish nobody saw coming.

Sonia Citron chipped away with four points in the final minute, cutting the gap to 96-95 on a pair of free throws with 43 seconds left. Wilson, who had been nearly automatic all night, missed the second of two free throws with 17 seconds remaining — the one crack Washington needed. Citron drove and missed a layup attempt, but Austin crashed the boards, grabbed the offensive rebound, and finished through contact for the go-ahead three-point play with 12.8 seconds on the clock.

What the Odds Missed

Vegas opened as roughly 5.5- to 6-point favorites with a moneyline around -245, and the over/under sat near 162.5-164.5. The market had this pegged as a comfortable road win built on Wilson’s MVP-caliber scoring and the Aces’ league-best 91.0 points per game. That number nearly held — Las Vegas still put up 99 — but the total badly undersold Washington’s ceiling on a night the Mystics shot 49% from the floor and got double-figure scoring from five different players.

The Numbers Side by Side

Wilson’s Monster Game Wasn’t the Story

A’ja Wilson did everything a superstar is supposed to do — 38 points on 12-of-16 shooting, 12-of-13 from the free-throw line, and a third straight game clearing 25 points. Jackie Young added 24 and Chelsea Gray chipped in 19, giving Las Vegas three players in double figures who combined for 81 of the team’s 99 points. On most nights, that’s a formula that wins comfortably on the road.

Washington outrebounded a superior Las Vegas team 34-24, including a 12-4 edge on the offensive glass.

That extra-possession advantage is exactly why the Mystics were still within arm’s reach in crunch time despite shooting six percentage points worse than the Aces for the game. Kiki Iriafen’s 10 rebounds to go with 12 points, and Austin’s own follow-up on the winning possession, are the clearest evidence of where the game actually got decided — not on the perimeter, where Las Vegas had answers all night, but on second-chance opportunities Washington kept manufacturing.

Lauren Betts came off the bench for 13 points, and Michaela Onyenwere and Georgia Amoore each added 10 as Washington got its scoring from everywhere. That kind of balanced contribution is rare for a team averaging the fewest points in the WNBA, and it’s the reason this result reads as more than a fluke upset. For readers tracking value on the Aces after a result like this, it’s worth watching how the market adjusts FanDuel promo code pricing on Las Vegas’s next few road trips.

Where This Leaves Both Teams

Las Vegas heads into the All-Star break at 18-8, still two games back of a red-hot Minnesota squad atop the West, but with a defeat that snaps a strong recent run and puts a real dent in the Aces’ aura of inevitability against lesser-record opponents. Washington improves to 14-13 and gets a signature win over the reigning champions — the kind of result that can shift belief in a locker room fighting for positioning in a crowded Eastern race.

The result:

1. Final: Washington Mystics 100, Las Vegas Aces 99
2. Covered: Washington +5.5/+6 easily; also cashed as the moneyline underdog at +200

Shakira Austin’s and-1 will be the headline, but this game was won in the paint over four quarters, not just in the final possession.