BALTIMORE — Brittney Sykes scored 21 points and grabbed nine rebounds, while Kiki Iriafen contributed 16 points, helping the Washington Mystics secure an 83-77 victory over the undermanned Indiana Fever on Wednesday night at CFG Bank Arena in Baltimore.
Reigning Rookie of the Year Caitlin Clark did not play for Indiana due to a strained left quad.
She was injured while playing during the Fever’s loss to the Liberty on Saturday.
For the first time in her career, Clark missed a regular-season game after participating in all 40 games and both playoff games last season, along with the first four games of this year.
Sykes blocked Kelsey Mitchell’s layup attempt with 1:06 remaining in the fourth quarter and went on to sink 3 of 4 free throws in the last minute, ensuring Washington held a multi-possession lead.
Shakira Austin scored all 13 of her points in the first half to help the Mystics take a 44-40 lead at the break.
Sonia Citron also finished with 13 points for Washington (3-3), which snapped a three-game losing streak.
The Mystics will next host the Liberty on Friday.
DeWanna Bonner scored 21 points, including a long 3-pointer just before the final buzzer, to lead the 2-3 Fever, who will next host the Sun on Friday.
Bonner became the first player in WNBA history to reach 7,500 points, 3,000 rebounds and 1,000 assists.
Mitchell added 14 points, Natasha Howard scored 11 and Aliyah Boston had 10 for Indiana.
Sydney Colson started in place of Clark and scored four points in 31 minutes.
