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The Washington Mystics may be just 3-4 through seven games, but players and coaches believe the team’s development and competitiveness are more important than its record at this stage of the 2026 season.
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Washington dropped a 92-87 game to the Los Angeles Sparks on Friday at CareFirst Arena, but the narrow loss against one of the WNBA’s more veteran teams was viewed internally as another sign of progress for the league’s youngest roster.
“This is the situation we want to be in. Having multiple games where we’re competing in overtime, going up against L.A. who’s a team full of vets, it’s exciting,” forward Shakira Austin said after the game against the Sparks, as reported by Bailey Johnson of The Washington Post. “It’s exciting to be able to go out there and compete every day and just bring them along with me.”
Austin, who at 25 is one of Washington’s more experienced players, led the Mystics with 25 points and 10 rebounds. Sonia Citron added 21 points and eight assists, while Kiki Iriafen recorded 13 points and nine rebounds.
The Mystics have experienced both highs and lows during a recent stretch that included losses to Dallas and Seattle, a road win over the Storm and Friday’s loss against Los Angeles. Against the Sparks, Washington trailed by eight entering the fourth quarter but fought back. Austin tied the game at 81 with two free throws with 2:07 remaining before Nneka Ogwumike answered with a 3-pointer and Erica Wheeler closed out the win for Los Angeles.
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For Mystics coach Sydney Johnson, the response from his young roster carried significance beyond the final score.
“They think I’m a dad too much when I’m praising them for how they go about their business, but it’s amazing to watch them fight and stay together and face adversity and also hold themselves accountable,” Johnson said. “The entire team responded to being down 69-61 and shots not falling. You have no idea the mental toughness that takes, from a group that hasn’t been through it … We lost, I get it. But it was absolutely amazing to see how much they continue to trust and stay with what we’re trying to do.”
Washington will host the Chicago Sky on Tuesday.
Information from The Associated Press contributed to this article.
