Story By: Erin Zollars
Photos By: Sol Tucker
Washington, D.C–
While some Mystics fans are upset that the season came to an end tonight at Capital One Area, others are optimistic about the future as they end the season with a 92-91 victory over the Indiana Fever in dramatic fashion.
The Mystics (14-26), who led by 16 points entering the fourth quarter, began the regular season finale with a shot at the final playoff spot but that hope ended when the Atlanta Dream (15-25) won at New York to secure the No. 8 seed.
For the Fever, win or lose they had decided to focus on the playoffs with their (20-20) record and they had already locked up the No. 6 seed entering the game tonight and decided to pull its starters midway through the second half.
Caitlin Clark, who has been the star of the WNBA show this season, had eight points, eight assists and five rebounds in 20 minutes while Kelsey Mitchell had four points and was pulled after only five minutes. For Clark, it was her first time being held under double figures in scoring since June 13.
The biggest story of the night was the record setting crowd at Capital One Arena tonight. The final announced attendance of 20,711, was the largest in WNBA history.
The record crowd come on the heels of the WNBA announcing that they were expanding to Portland yesterday.
Washington went just 3 of 15 in the fourth quarter, but Indiana, with mostly reserves on the floor, missed three shots in the last minute after Wallace scored to make it 92-91 with 1:13 to play.
One of the biggest things to watch for the Mystics in the off season is the 2025 WNBA Draft. Can they grab the top pick, or will Paige Bueckers be heading elsewhere? What’s next to make this team a contender again? Several key players are likely not to be on the roster next season and it’s pretty clear the Elena Delle Donne may not return in 2025, so it’s going to force the Mystics front office to pivot and find a way to get the right players if they want to compete for a championship again.
