Kiki Iriafen helps Mystics route Sky 90-72
kiki iriafen and the Washington Mystics beat the Chicago Sky 90-72 on June 2, 2026, at CareFirst Arena in Washington, DC. Washington did it with the WNBA’s youngest roster and eight rookies, a depth edge that showed early and never really faded.
Washington’s rookies set the pace
Five Mystics rookies scored in the first half, and the rotation kept producing while Chicago chased the game. Shakira Austin added 17 points and eight rebounds, while Michaela Onyenwere scored 13 points on 5-for-6 shooting against her former team.
Fans chanted for Rori Harmon in the fourth quarter before she entered, another sign of how much Washington leaned on its younger players. The Mystics also played without their leading scorer, Sonia Citron, yet still controlled the game from the start.
Sky lose the glass and the ball
46-29 on the boards was the bluntest number in Chicago’s fifth consecutive loss, and the extra chances turned into 17 points for Washington. The Sky also turned the ball over more than 17 times for the second straight game, making it harder to survive a night in which their offense was already stretching to keep up.
Tyler Marsh said after the game that “teams are being more physical, making them extend their offense further out.” That showed up when Chicago used a full-court press for the first time and then switched to a zone in the third quarter, only for the zone to give up wide-open three-pointers.
Chicago’s short-handed rotation
The Sky have been fighting through lineup turnover all season, and that pressure has only grown with Rickea Jackson out for the season with a torn ACL and Gabriela Jaquez sidelined for a week. Natasha Cloud said, “We started off [the season] really strong,” and added, “Obviously, losing some players, not having players, you have to adjust and pivot and find where you’re gonna piece in and plug in.”
Sydney Taylor was even more direct after the loss: “be better when times get hard,” “Don’t put our heads down.” and “I think body language on our team is an issue at times.” Chicago is 3-6 now, and the gap between a young, deep Mystics group and a patchwork Sky roster looked real enough to matter on the floor.
