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Mystics Outlast Fire 124-123 in Four Overtimes to Tie Longest Game in WNBA History
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- Mystics Outlast Fire 124-123 in Four Overtimes to Tie Longest Game in WNBA History
(Rafael Suanes-Imagn Images)
Video Credit: Washington Mystics
Sonia Citron scored 32 points, including the go-ahead basket with 21.4 seconds left, helping the Washington Mystics beat Portland Fire 124-123 in four overtimes, tying the longest game in WNBA history.
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It lasted 3 hours 35 minutes. The only other four-overtime game was on July 3, 2001, when Washington beat Seattle 72-69, which was less offensively intense. With 21 ties and 12 lead changes, the Mystics (9-9) finally held on.
Citron, Michaela Onyenwere , and Kiki Iriafen all cleared 27 points, Onyenwere with 30 and Iriafen with 27. No team in league history had ever gotten 27 or more from three players in the same game.
The Mystics used every point to beat a tough Portland team. Carla Leite scored a 3-pointer with 0.4 seconds left to force overtime, ending with 32 points. Sarah Ashlee Barker scored 25, Megan Gustafson 20 for the Fire (8-12).
Mystics coach Sydney Johnson prioritized team cohesion over talent in his first experience.
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"I learned that they're going to stay tough and stay together," Johnson said. "A game like this presents adversity, emotional swings, difficult calls, missed assignments, and momentum changes. To see them stay connected instead of fracturing is everything I could ask for."
Citron said something changed once the Mystics realized the game was there for the taking.
"We knew we needed this win after dropping a couple of games we wanted back," Citron said. "Once it stayed close, the mindset became, 'Why not us?' We just kept trying to lift everybody up, and I'm really proud of us for staying together."
Onyenwere, who described the finish as pure relief, said no one had much left by the end.
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"We basically just had a group hug. I don't even think we had enough energy to celebrate," Onyenwere said. "It was just relief that it was finally over."
Portland was ahead 55-48 at halftime but scored only 12 points in the third quarter due to Washington's strong defense. The Mystics eventually took the lead late, but Leite hit a 25-footer to tie the game at 87, sending it into overtime. The game went through four overtimes, with neither team able to establish a significant lead.
Onyenwere said each overtime basket felt magnified.
"I don't think we were ever ahead by more than two or three points during overtime, so every basket mattered," Onyenwere said. "The biggest thing on my mind was simply getting a bucket and then getting back for a stop."
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Washington played much of the night without Georgia Amoore , who left with soreness in her right knee, the same knee she injured last year, and did not return.
The loss hurt, but Fire coach Alex Sarama walked away encouraged, especially after a young group that had been picked apart defensively in two losses to Chicago .
"This is probably the happiest I've ever been after a loss in my coaching career," Sarama said. "There's so much we learned tonight because I thought we played great basketball. From a game-plan standpoint and an execution standpoint, I really felt we did everything we wanted to do on both ends of the floor."
Sarama identified the defensive turnaround as the most promising sign.
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"We looked like a completely different team defensively compared to those two Chicago games, and that's really encouraging moving forward," Sarama said.
Barker mentioned that the team based its actions on its core values throughout the season.
"We gave up 124 points in Chicago during regulation, and tonight we gave up the same number after four overtimes. That shows we can defend," Barker said. "What I'm most proud of is how we stayed together when things got hard."
The Fire visit the Seattle Storm on Saturday. The Mystics host the Atlanta Dream on Thursday.
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