Elena Delle Donne scored 25 points, Shakira Austin had 15 points and 11 rebounds and the Washington Mystics beat the Chicago Sky 71-69 on Friday night at Wintrust Arena.
Ariel Atkins rebounded her own miss and found Delle Donne open for a go-ahead 3-pointer with 22.4 seconds to play. Kahleah Copper drove into the lane and was fouled before making 1 of 2 free throws with 10.4 left to get the Sky within 69-67. But Atkins sealed it by making two free throws for a four-point lead.
Natasha Cloud had a team-high seven assists for the Mystics (2-2), who forced the Sky into 21 turnovers.
The Mystics made 16 of 20 from the free-throw line while the Sky made 9 of 13.
Washington led 53-37 before the Sky scored the next 16 points to tie it on Copper’s wide-open layup. Amanda Zahui B. answered with a 3-pointer on her first shot of the game and Kristi Toliver converted a four-point play — her first points of the game — on the next Mystics possession to make it 60-53.
The Sky tied it again at 60 after Washington went the first three-plus minutes of the fourth quarter without a point. Austin made the Mystics’ second field goal of the fourth with 3:10 left for a 64-62 lead.
Marina Mabrey led the Sky (2-1) with 19 points. Courtney Williams had 13 points, nine rebounds and five assists and Copper scored 12.
Sky forward Morgan Bertsch left the game late in the first half after landing awkwardly following a blocked shot and did not return. Rebekah Gardner also had to be helped off the court with 38.1 seconds left in the fourth quarter.
