There have been a ton of obstacles that the Washington Mystics (14-16) have been trying to overcome with the bevy of injured players that they have had on the bench.
They have players picking up extra time on the floor, they have had position players guarding people on the floor that they usually wouldn’t guard.
Well, the team was able to greet one of their players back to the court as Center/Forward Shakira Austin made her way back to playing time in the teams 83-76 victory over the Chicago Sky (12-18) on Sunday.
Austin has been out for 16 games after being diagnosed with a left hip strain injury, and boy was the return an incredible one. The fans in the Entertainment and Sports Arena gave Shakira a great ovation, as she made it known that she was on the way back with four points, four rebounds, two assists and a block.
It is going to be great to have Austin and others back on the floor as the team’s rotation on both offense and defense can get back to the way that Head Coach Eric Thibault and the franchise hoped it would be.
Fans are encouraged to check out the video below to hear from Coach E along with Brittney Sykes and Shakira Austin from after the team’s victory over the Sky….video is compliments of the Washington Mystics:
There are a ton of other highlights in the team’s latest victory against the Sky as Milestone Moment Maker Brittney Sykes marked her third career 30-point game and did so against Chicago. Here are the rest of ‘Slim’s Stats’ as she shot 11-18 from the field, 2-5 from three and 6-6 from the free-throw line, in addition to having six assists, four rebounds and five steals.
Sykes is now in the Mystics history book, as she is the 15th player in WNBA history, to go along with being the second in Mystics history (Chamique Holdsclaw) to record at least 30 points and five steals in a game. The last such performance in the league came by Sophie Cunningham on July 12, 2022.
The team also saw a stellar performance by Queen Egbo as she recorded a career-high 16 points, while shooting a perfect 7-7 from the field along with three rebounds, two steals and a block.
One of the things that has fans and the ladies on the team excited is the fact that the Mystics hopefully going forward are going to have a one-two punch of Austin and Egbo as scoring options in the low post; and that is going to be something fun to watch for.
Tianna Hawkins continues her fine performances, as she added 13 points and six rebounds on 5-9 shooting from the field.
Up next for the Mystics is a quick trip to Indiana to take on the Fever in a game to be played on August 18, with the Tip scheduled for 7:00 p.m. After that the ladies get to return to the Washington D.C. Area to take on the Dallas Wings (August 20 and Connecticut Sun (August 22).
For more information on the Washington Mystics fans are encouraged to click on the link seen here: