The Washington Mystics are winless no more.
The Mystics snapped their 12-game losing streak to start the 2024 season with an 87-68 victory over the Atlanta Dream on Tuesday night. Washington got 18 points each from the returning Brittney Sykes and Ariel Atkins.
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Brittney Sykes, #20 of the Washington Mystics, dribbles the ball during the game against the Atlanta Dream during the 2024 WNBA Commissioner’s Cup game on June 11, 2024 at the Gateway Center Arena in College Park, Georgia. (Dale Zanine/NBAE via Getty Images)
Washington avoided tying the longest losing streak in franchise history. The team started the 2012 season losing its first 13 games in a row.
“The feel is it’s been coming,’ Mystics head coach Eric Thibault said, via ESPN. “I said the other night that we’re turning into a good basketball team, and we just haven’t had the wins to show for it yet. We’ve been playing better basketball now for a while.
“We’re obviously shooting well, but I think the quality of the shots we’re getting is really good.”
Sykes is in her second season with the Mystics but missed the last 10 games due to an ankle injury. Thibault agreed her impact was felt on offense and defense.
Washington guard Ariel Atkins, #7, reacts during the WNBA game between the Washington Mystics and the Atlanta Dream on June 11, 2024 at Gateway Center Arena in College Park, Georgia. (Rich von Biberstein/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
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“You see it in the open court,” he said. “It’s not something where there’s a lot of it around the league. We were able to throw it ahead to her a couple of times and let her attack. There’s just an aggressiveness to her game that’s a great trait to have on our team.”
Sykes appeared to tweak her ankle late in the game, but Thibault said they would re-evaluate the injury when they returned to Washington, D.C.
Atlanta guard Rhyne Howard, #10, shoots a free throw during the WNBA game between the Washington Mystics and the Atlanta Dream on June 11, 2024 at Gateway Center Arena in College Park, Georgia. (Rich von Biberstein/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Dream star Rhyne Howard scored 16 points as the team fell to 5-5. She became the youngest player in WNBA history to reach 200 career 3-pointers.
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Washington heads back home to take on the Chicago Sky on Friday. The Dream hit the road to play the Indiana Fever.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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