Subscribe
Follow Us
Preseason basketball is usually a tune-up for players and coaches, but it was more than that for the Washington Mystics against the Indiana Fever on Saturday. The team got its first taste of what its new era will look like, and there's plenty to be excited about.
For starters, No. 3 overall pick Sonia Citron played as well as first-year head coach Sydney Johnson could've hoped for, scoring 15 points (5-6 FG, 2-3 3 PT) with four rebounds, two assists, one steal, and one block in 22 minutes.
Sonia Citron today 🔥
• 15 points
• 4 rebounds
• 5/6 FG
• 22 minutes played pic.twitter.com/oVZLhkbOz1— Women’s Hoops Network (@WomensHoops_USA) May 3, 2025
The rookie was second on the team in points only to eighth-year veteran Brittney Sykes (18), and she was pleased with both herself and the team as a whole in the 79-74 overtime loss.
“Yeah, I mean I think overall it went pretty smooth,” she said after the game. “Again, we can always get better and that's gonna happen as we continue to play together and build that chemistry.
“Glad to have that under my belt, just see how the flow of the game is and play against competition that's not our team,” she continued. “But overall, it was good, it was fun.”
The fact that things were “smooth” without second-year forward Aaliyah Edwards (back), No. 6 overall pick Georgia Amoore (knee), and veteran big Shakira Austin (leg) is a good sign. The Fever didn't have generational superstar Caitlin Clark, but it was still a quality road performance nonetheless.
Washington had 11 of its 13 players score, and it bested Indiana in field goal percentage (37.8 to 30.3), three-point percentage (25 to 21.4), and assists (21 to 18). If Johnson played the starters for the final few minutes, the final result could've easily gone a different way.
However, utilizing backups down the stretch made sense, as it allowed the starters to rest and the coaching staff to evaluate the entire roster. No. 4 overall pick Kiki Iriafen led the bench with seven points (2-7 FG, 0-1 3 PT) and five rebounds, while third-year guard Jade Melbourne notched three points (1-3 FG) with one rebound, three assists, two steals, and one block. No. 32 overall pick Zaay Green added two steals of her own, while un-drafted forward Khadijiah Cave recorded three rebounds, an assist, and a steal in just nine minutes.
It'll be challenging for the latter two players to make the final roster, as the team must cut at least three more before the regular season after letting go of Morgan Jones and JoJo Lacey on Sunday. Still, having multiple players make an impact in different facets shows that the coaches are keeping everyone engaged, even the ones who may not stick around long.
Mystics' Sydney Johnson is impressed with Sonia Citron
Washington doesn't have a star yet, but Citron's debut reminded the WNBA that it has one of the most promising young cores in the league. One good preseason game proves nothing about the Notre Dame product's long-term potential, but it's not easy for a newbie to shoot nearly perfect from the field against world-class competition just two months after a grueling NCAA season.
“I think we challenged our team as a whole to try to replicate the stuff that we're doing at our gym and try to bring it to whatever arena we're gonna play in. I thought we saw a lot of the same Sonia we see every day,” Johnson said. “I also liked if there was a play that was off here or there, she responded really well. She got better from one moment to the next, which I think is just wonderful, and to be able to do that in her first game is huge. So just really, really happy and just like she said, first game under her belt, let's move on.”
Citron and the Mystics' next chance to show their progress will come on Wednesday vs. the Atlanta Dream, which is their second and final preseason game.
