In a grueling weekend contest at the CareFirst Arena, it was the Washington Mystics who finally prevailed. The Mystics got the better of the Portland Fire 124-123 in a seemingly never-ending game that extended through four overtimes. Now, Mystics guard Sonia Citron, after headlining this stellar win, has shared her take on what was the longest WNBA game in history.

“I mean, I don’t think any of us on either team wanted to play another overtime,” Citron said via a post-game interview. “It wasn’t pretty. But honestly, just get the ball in the basket, and let’s get stops. That’s like let’s really try to end it.”

This was only the second game in WNBA history to go to four overtimes. Interestingly, the Washington Mystics were also part of the very first one in 2001, where they clinched a win against the Seattle Storm (72-69). On Sunday, Citron ensured that the Mystics came out on top yet again by following up her season-high 28-point effort against the Lynx from just four days ago.

Citron exploded for a season-high 32 points in the game, while also recording six on the glass and four assists. The Mystics’ guard went 9 of 20 from the field and 13 of 14 from the free-throw line. She tipped off her scoring quite early with a running jump shot for a three within the opening minute of the game.

She scored 14 of her 32 points alone in the last five minutes and 50 seconds of the fourth quarter to help her team overcome the eight-point deficit they were facing after Megan Gustafson’s two-pointer with 6:03 remaining. Citron also scored 11 points across the four overtime durations and even scored the go-ahead two-pointer in the dying seconds of the fourth overtime.

However, what complicates her performance to an extent is her persistent turnovers. The Washington guard gave away the ball eight times in the game. But her overall performance fairly compensated for her struggles with ball security.

Portland Fire was equally good on the night as Washington was. Behind Carla Leite’s 32 points and Megan Gustafson’s 20 points in this matchup, Portland never looked out of the game. In fact, they even had a better shooting night compared to Washington’s (45% against the Mystics’ 43%).

But the Washington Mystics’ elite display on the glass (45 rebounds) and ball movement (32 assists) capped off a tiring night for them. These long stretches on the court took a major toll on the players’ tenacity and energy, but the Mystics eventually navigated their way through four gruelling OT’s. Sonia Citron shared a candid assessment of it after the game as well.

“I think we just did a group hug,” Citron said in the presser. “I don’t think we even had energy to like yell or celebrate. It was just like, it’s finally over.”

Citron’s performance wasn’t limited to the basketball court. While that was surely the most impressive part of her game, her head coach saw an even more impressive quality in her as a player during this physically challenging affair.

Mystics HC Sydney Johnson Heaps Praise on Sonia Citron’s leadership

Citron had firm company in the scoring column during this thrilling contest. Michaela Onyenwere and Kiki Iriafen dropped 30 and 27 points, respectively, in the game. But in the tiring overtime frame of plays, when the situation looked bleak, it wasn’t just their on-court performance that kept them afloat.

Instead, it was the leadership of players Citron and Onyenwere that kept them at bay. Head coach Sydney Johnson highlighted it specifically in the post-game presser.

“I think our Mystics were fantastic just in terms of never quitting,” Johnson said. “It was easy to get discouraged. They didn’t. Michaela especially, Sonia especially in the huddles between the overtime sessions, they were very vocal in terms of just encouraging each other. It was fantastic to see.”

Despite being a second-year pro, Sonia Citron is quietly establishing herself as the leader. Her performance is already improving this season, as she’s leading the team with over 17 points per game, according to ESPN. Citron feels that these tightrope contests will help the young Washington roster sharpen up.

“I think for such a young team, the best way to learn is just going through it, and I think early on in the season we had a lot of games that went into OT that was decided by one or two possessions,” Citron said. “I think all of that helps us to be better.”

With this win, the Washington Mystics have snapped their two-game losing streak. They are now 9-9 on the season with their next game scheduled against the Atlanta Dream on July 2 at the CareFirst Arena.