On the final day of the WNBA regular season, the New York Liberty were looking to enter the playoffs on a 9-game winning streak and give themselves a chance to match the Las Vegas Aces for the WNBA’s best record. To do that, they would need to take down the Washington Mystics at home, but found themselves in a tight game late as Brittney Sykes (20 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists) and Natasha Cloud (17 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists) each had big games for Washington to keep pace with the high-powered Liberty offense.
Tied at 88-88 in the closing seconds, the Mystics got the ball to longtime star Elena Delle Donne, but the former MVP wasn’t able to get a game-winning attempt to the rim because Breanna Stewart got a hand on it and blocked it out of bounds with 0.5 on the clock.
.@breannastewart GETS THE BLOCK WITH 0.5 SECONDS LEFT
Game tied at 88
@NBATV pic.twitter.com/oBDqFegcVT
— WNBA (@WNBA) September 10, 2023
That set up an inbounds that would require an immediate catch-and-shoot for the Mystics to have a chance of winning in regulation, and they dialed up a beautiful play to get Sykes free in the lane, lobbing it to the guard who caught it and shot it all in one motion while hanging in the air.
SLIMMMMMMM
@BrittBundlez wins it for the @WashMystics 90-88 at the buzzer against the New York Liberty snapping their 8-game win streak on the last day of the regular szn #MoreThanGame pic.twitter.com/kvdGatwGQE
— WNBA (@WNBA) September 10, 2023
It’s a great play drawn up by the Mystics and terrific execution, as the lob gets just over the outstretched arms of Stewart, who Sykes rises over to catch and finish. The win improved the Mystics to 19-21, moving them into a tie with the Minnesota Lynx and Atlanta Dream for the league’s fifth best record as the playoffs arrive, although both teams hold tiebreakers over them. Still, it’s an impressive win and only boosts the Mystics’ confidence as they get set for postseason play, rallying from an 0-6 start to the season to finish strong and reach the playoffs.