Washington dropped to 3-4 on the season
The Washington Mystics lost 85-63 to the undefeated New York Liberty on Friday, dropping to 3-4 on the season.
New York got started early behind a pair of triple from Leonie Fiebich, who finished with 12 points and nine rebounds.
Brittany Sykes paced the Mystics with seven first-quarter points and an and-1 layup to open the second frame as Washington hunted New York from a distance. Sykes finished with a team-high 20 points on an inefficient 5-for-18 shooting.
Washington entered the second half trailing by 12 points before an 11-3 scoring run trimmed its deficit to just four points early in the third quarter. Then, the reigning champions did what reigning champions do, embarking on a 16-0 run that lasted over six minutes before Sonia Citron buried a triple to make it 63-46 Liberty.
While Liberty star Sabrina Ionescu dazzled with a game-high 28 points, her counterpart, Breanna Stewart, struggled from the floor, scoring just 10 points on 3-for-10 shooting.
The sides traded buckets early in the fourth quarter, but the damage was already done, as New York pulled away for a dominant 85-63 victory.