The Washington Mystics captured their first WNBA title after taking an 89-78 win in a crucial Game 5 against the Connecticut Sun. Mystics forward Elena Delle Donne fought through three herniated disks in her back to trot out 21 points after being hindered by injuries through the series.

The WNBA Most Valuable Player had fallen shy of a title during her last two tries, but it seemed like the third time was indeed the charm, as she helped spark her team to a rousing victory.

”Every time I get the Finals, something happens,” said Delle Donne, referring to her previous injuries, according to Doug Feinberg of The Associated Press. ”I think I pissed the basketball gods off when I decided to step away (in college). I hope this ends the drama that I'm having in the Finals.”

Delle Donne helped spark a key 8-0 run in the last three minutes of the game, which earned the Mystics the long-awaited hardware.

”It feels phenomenal, my goodness, feels so good. Hard to put it into words,” said Delle Donne, who fell short in two previous Finals appearances. ”To win it with such a great group of people. We wanted to win it for the person next to us. We'll remember this season. I'm kind of sad the season's about to be over. My goodness, we sure ended this on a high note.”

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Caitlin Clark in Indiana Fever uniform.

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WNBA player Stefanie Dolson in a Washington Mystics jersey

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Elena Delle Donne with the Mystics arena in the background

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Sixth woman Emma Meesseman chipped in a team-best 22 points, helping Delle Donne outduel the frontcourt of Alyssa Thomas (21 points, 12 rebounds, six assists) and Jonquel Jones (25 points, nine rebounds). The soft-spoken, sharp-shooting Belgian earned the Finals MVP award after adopting the ”Playoff Emma” moniker for her timely shooting and key defensive plays.

Delle Donne secured the final rebound of the game, as the Mystics trotted out a 27-14 fourth quarter to take the title, hugging her teammates at center court as the final buzzer sounded, capping out a magical WNBA season with some long-eluded hardware.