The Washington Mystics and Portland Fire delivered one of the wildest games of the WNBA season on June 29, with Washington escaping with a 124-123 win after four overtimes.
WNBA History: Mystics and Fire Tie Longest Game Record
The marathon matchup tied the longest game in WNBA history, becoming only the second four-overtime game the league has ever seen. The only other one also involved Washington, when the Mystics beat Seattle in 2001. This game also added to a recent scoring explosion in the league, as 120-point performances have suddenly become more common. Before this season, a WNBA team had reached 120 points only three times in league history. This season alone, it has already happened four times, all within the past four days.
Sonia Citron finished with a career-high 32 points for Washington. Even while dealing with cramps late in the game, she still found enough strength to cut to the basket and score the go-ahead layup with 21.4 seconds remaining in the fourth overtime. Michaela Onyenwere also delivered a career night, scoring 30 points. Kiki Iriafen added a strong all-around performance with 27 points and 11 rebounds, helping the Mystics become the first team in league history to have three players score at least 27 points in the same game.
Portland nearly matched Washington shot for shot behind Carla Leite, who scored a career-high 32 points and added nine assists. Leite hit a dramatic three-pointer near the end of regulation to force overtime, then continued to keep the Fire alive with clutch plays. Sarah Ashlee Barker also stepped up with a career-high 25 points, while Megan Gustafson added 20.
In the end, Washington survived one of the most exhausting and memorable games the WNBA has seen.
