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Kiki Iriafen, Cotie McMahon face WNBA fines after chippy Mystics-Wings game
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- Kiki Iriafen, Cotie McMahon face WNBA fines after chippy Mystics-Wings game
Kiki Iriafen, Cotie McMahon face WNBA fines after chippy Mystics-Wings game originally appeared on The Sporting News . Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here .
The Washington Mystics walked away from Friday night's matchup against the Dallas Wings with an important victory, but two players are also expected to leave the game with lighter wallets. Kiki Iriafen and Cotie McMahon face automatic WNBA fines after each received an unsportsmanlike foul during Washington's 81-75 win at CareFirst Arena.
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McMahon was assessed a Flagrant 1 foul following an incident with Wings guard Arike Ogunbowale in the fourth quarter. Iriafen later received a technical foul after reacting to a call by forcefully bouncing the ball. Under WNBA rules, McMahon's Flagrant 1 carries one flagrant point and a $500 fine. Iriafen is also subject to a $500 fine because the technical was her second of the season.
The two costly moments did not prevent Washington from earning its fourth consecutive victory and strengthening its position in the Eastern Conference playoff race.
Cotie McMahon, Arike Ogunbowale get tangled up
The most heated moment arrived midway through the fourth quarter as McMahon and Ogunbowale battled for rebounding position. The two players became tangled before McMahon pushed Ogunbowale to the floor. Officials stopped play and reviewed the sequence, eventually upgrading McMahon's foul to a Flagrant 1.
The incident briefly increased the tension in a competitive game between two teams attempting to build momentum entering the final portion of the regular season. McMahon's Flagrant 1 gives her one flagrant point for the season. WNBA players receive an automatic one-game suspension after accumulating four flagrant points, meaning she remains well below that threshold.
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Iriafen's technical came after she was called for a shooting foul. The Mystics star responded by bouncing the ball hard enough to draw an immediate whistle from the officials. It was Iriafen's second technical foul of the year. Players are suspended for one game after receiving their eighth technical of the regular season, so she is not in immediate danger of missing time.
Still, the frustration will cost her.
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Kiki Iriafen helps Mystics secure important victory
Iriafen did much more than attract the officials' attention Friday. The Washington forward delivered 22 points and nine rebounds, helping the Mystics withstand a strong performance from Paige Bueckers and hand Dallas its second consecutive loss.
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Shakira Austin led Washington with 28 points, 10 rebounds and four assists. Sonia Citron contributed an impressive all-around performance with 16 points, five rebounds, five assists and three blocks. Bueckers finished with 23 points for the Wings, while Ogunbowale added 20. Dallas did not receive enough help from the rest of its starting lineup, however, as no other starter reached double figures.
The victory improved Washington to 16-12 and gave the Mystics additional separation in the race for one of the WNBA's eight playoff spots. Washington will gladly accept the result, even if two of its players must now pay for what happened during a chippy fourth quarter.
Iriafen and McMahon avoided suspensions, but their reactions provided an expensive reminder that the league keeps a close eye on technical and flagrant fouls.
