The Washington Mystics (20-7) became the first team in the WNBA to clinch a playoff spot this weekend and they broke some WNBA records along the way.
The Mystics currently lead the league with the best winning percentage. With a 20 win season so far, they are just three games shy of making history and on the path to set a new franchise record for the number of wins in a single season.
Sunday afternoon, some history was made. Washington returned home to knock off the Indiana Fever (9-17) 107-68 behind a dominant second half outscoring the visitors by 30 points in the final two quarters.
The remarkable part is that this high powered offense made a record breaking 18 three-pointers making history for the most threes in a single WNBA game.
With a high offensive shooting game it may be of no surprise that the Mystics 36 point third quarter also set a single season record for most points in a quarter.
On the defensive end, the Mystics were dominant too, holding the Fever to just ten points in the first quarter. The defensive effort tied a season record of lowest points scored in the opening quarter of a game by any team.
With a victory Sunday, the Mystics also clinched their 10th win in 11 games over the course of one month.
Back at Entertainment and Sports Arena for the annual breast health awareness game, four Mystics finished in double figures. Elena Delle-Donne led all scorers with a near double-double. The five-time 2019 Eastern Conference Player of the Week finished with 25 points and nine rebounds.Â
Aerial Powers added 19 points as Ariel Atkins chipped in with 15 points. Emma Meesseman rounded out the double-figure scoring with 11 off the bench.
For the Fever, Tiffany Mitchell finished with a team-high 17 points and five assists. Teammate Teaira McCowan collected her sixth double-double of the season, scoring 14 points and grabbing 10 rebounds.
For the Mystics, the honors come off a Friday night victory as Powers, Meesseman, Delle Donne, and Atkins along with Natasha Cloud each finished in double figures in Washington’s win over the Minnesota Lynx (13-14).
Cloud made some history of her own in Friday’s win, passing Alana Beard for most assist holder in franchise history.
The Mystics defeated the Lynx 86-79 on the road in Washington’s fourth straight win to stay at the top spot in the WNBA before getting win number five on Sunday.
The Washington Mystics get to celebrate these milestones before getting back to business to take on the Chicago Sky (15-11) Friday night at 8:00 pm ET at Wintrust Arena.
Renee is a reporter and analyst with ESPN covering college athletics. She also hosts a daily show called "Locked on Wizards" with the Locked on Podcast network.