Riding a better record, hungry to bounce back from a heartbreaking loss, and coming in with a 92-69 demolition of Washington earlier in the season, you’d think the Dallas Wings looked poised to hand the Mystics their first loss in six games. Instead, a 96-92 final score doesn’t capture how close Dallas came to snapping the Mystics’ five-game win streak, or how thoroughly they controlled the first half. Now, Paige Bueckers and head coach Jose Fernandez are left to pick apart what went wrong in a game that felt won.
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“Look at the downhill drives,” Fernandez said in the post-game conference. “Look at transition baskets where they got out, and the PITP can be a little misleading where it’s not all post touches. Points in the paint come from a lot of elbow entries. They drove at us. We fouled. They went to the free throw line. In transition, we didn’t stop the point of attack and contain, and they got to the rim.”
The result feels extra harsh for the Wings, considering they started the game on a stronger note.
The Dallas Wings came out firing, attacking Washington’s elite defense from the opening buzzer. Backcourt pair Jessica Shepard and Alanna Smith combined for 14 first-quarter points to put Dallas ahead 31-28. They kept rolling in the second, tightening up on defense while outscoring the Mystics 28-16. By halftime, Dallas held a commanding 59-44 lead, handing Washington’s third-ranked defense the most first-half points it had surrendered all season.
“It looked like they put an emphasis in the second half on stopping our transition,” Paige Bueckers, who has led the Wings’ turnaround this season, told reporters. “We played better defensively in the first half, so we got stops and were able to get up.”
Taking a closer look, in the second half, the Mystics outscored the Wings 52-33, and over half those points came from inside the paint. Dallas struggled to contain those inside drives, as Shakira Austin and Co. ran riot.
Austin finished the night with a dominant display, scoring 27 points and 13 rebounds, and rookie Cotie McMahon scored a season-high 18 points, 10 of them in the fourth quarter.
The game turned late in the second half. Washington still trailed the Wings 76-56 late in the third quarter before they started closing the gap. Although the Wings still held the lead heading into the fourth quarter, the Mystics went on a 12-0 run to tie it at 86-86.
McMahon completed a three-point play, and then Sonia Citron made a crucial shot to make it 93-88 with 1:12 left. Citron and Georgia Amoore each finished with 12 points for Washington, as they extended their winning streak to five games.
At 17-12, the Mystics have emerged as the dark horses in the playoff race and, just before the All-Star break, edged past two of the top 3 seeds in the Aces and the Valkyries, and now have won back-to-back games against the Wings.
It was definitely a night to forget for Paige Bueckers and Azzi Fudd as they struggled to get on the board. Bueckers finished with 17 points while converting only 6 of her 15 shots from the field, and Fudd finished with just 9 points, converting only 2 of her 8 shots from the field.
The silver lining for the Wings could be the milestone that Azzi Fudd achieved, as she is now the fastest player since 2002 to reach 50+ steals & 50+ threes.
Coach Fernandez has bigger issues to worry about before the Wings face the third-seed Golden State Valkyries in their next game. The playoff race is tightening at 19-12, and fixing these late-game collapses tops his list. But there’s another question looming, one that came up immediately after the loss.
Fernandez backs Paige Bueckers ahead of World Cup announcement
Thursday morning brought major news for Paige, announcing that she will take charge with Team USA at the 2026 FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup. The announcement arrived as the Dallas Wings were still dealing with the sting of their loss, adding another layer to an already difficult day.
However, on Wednesday night, a reporter asked coach Fernandez about Bueckers’ workload and whether Bueckers would be playing in the World Cup, and that some WNBA teams were cutting the minutes of players headed to the tournament.
“I’m saying that Paige has played over 33 minutes in three or four games since World Cup, sorry, since the All-Star break,” the reporter said. “Is that something you take into consider?”
The World Cup runs from September 4 through September 13. Reportedly, WNBA teams have gradually reduced the minutes of players heading to the tournament. With the result of the game against the Mystics, and another game coming up, it’s perhaps something one would consider for the Wings team as well, right?
“I don’t know. Sony played 36:32, and Shakira played 36:07,” Fernandez said.
The reporter cut in again, “But neither of those players are going to Berlin though, right?”
To which Fernandez responded, “Berlin’s at the end of the month. September 1st.”
When it looked like the conversation was going nowhere, with reporters opting to ask a different question, Fernandez cut in with a last say.
“Does he know that Paige is going to Berlin yet?” He questioned, revealing the news which was not out yet. “I just guessed.”
It’s a big step for Paige Bueckers, who is averaging 33.5 minutes, 20.1 points, 5.9 assists and 4.2 rebounds in 29 appearances. Will any game plan be set up for her? Only time will tell.
For now, there’s still another game on the horizon. The Wings’ loss to the Mystics dropped them to 19-12, behind the Atlanta Dream and Indiana Fever, and left them with an uphill playoff climb. Their next chance to respond comes Friday against the Golden State Valkyries.