Sky can’t – The Washington Mystics rode a young roster to a 90-72 win over the Chicago Sky on Tuesday, extending the Sky’s losing streak to five straight. With the game largely decided after a fast start from Mystics rookies, experienced players couldn’t slow down the new
When the clock moved into the fourth quarter, it didn’t feel like a normal basketball game anymore. It felt like the Mystics had already decided what kind of night it would be.
In Washington on Tuesday, the Mystics’ youngest roster in the WNBA kept pouring energy into every possession—until the Chicago Sky, already thin and still searching for the rhythm of their season, finally ran out of answers in a 90-72 loss that stretched Chicago’s skid to five straight games.
Mystics coach Sydney Johnson had said before tipoff that he worried about the Sky’s experience. given a lineup filled with seasoned. accomplished players. The problem for Chicago was that Washington’s youth came with structure. The Mystics entered as a development-first team, and eight rookies made that philosophy visible early.
Five Mystics rookies scored in the first half, turning the opening stretch into a statement. Forward Shakira Austin, 25, backed up the hype with 17 points and eight rebounds. Former Sky guard Michaela Onyenwere. returning to her old team. added 13 points on 5-for-6 shooting and made it hard for Chicago to settle into any defensive comfort zone.
By the fourth quarter. with the game clearly out of reach. the fans turned their attention to one rookie: 5-6 guard Rori Harmon. the only first-year player who hadn’t yet appeared. The chant grew loud enough to be heard over the noise of a mismatch. Harmon entered, and the youth movement was complete.
But the Sky’s frustration wasn’t just about what the rookies were doing. It was about what Chicago couldn’t do—defend the way they were built to defend, and rebound the way they needed to rebound.
Defense has been Chicago’s calling card, yet Washington kept generating extra chances. Rebounding remained a massive issue. The Sky lost the rebounding battle 46-29, and the Mystics converted those second chances into 17 points.
The Sky also came into the night without key parts of their own rotation. The Mystics played without their leading scorer, Sonia Citron. For Chicago, the injury picture has been long enough to reshape their identity. The loss of forward Rickea Jackson to a season-ending torn ACL looms over every game. And even a week without rookie wing Gabriela Jaquez hurt them badly.
That reality showed up in the details. Natasha Cloud said defense has to be built the same way. possession after possession—through adjustment and accountability when the lineup changes. “We started off [the season] really strong,” Cloud said of the defense. “Obviously. losing some players. not having players. you have to adjust and pivot and find where you’re gonna piece in and plug in.”.
Chicago seemed to be figuring it out again. Ball-screen coverage took a step back against the Mystics. rebounding fell apart. and offense stalled in a way that turned every defensive possession into a bigger problem. After taking care of the ball in the first few games. the Sky turned it over more than 17 times for the second consecutive game.
Coach Tyler Marsh tied the offensive slowdown to physicality across the league, saying teams force opponents to extend their sets further out. But something still wasn’t clicking on Tuesday.
Chicago tried new defensive shapes in an effort to change the flow. They flashed a full-court press for the first time and switched to a zone in the third quarter. The adjustment didn’t slow Washington—it simply opened the door for wide-open three-pointers for the Mystics.
After the Sky dropped their fourth game in a row last week, Marsh said the locker room was disappointed but not dejected. The mood in Washington on Tuesday looked different from that kind of composure. “It [dejection] hung in the air,” the game felt, plain enough for everyone to see.
Sydney Taylor. speaking with that kind of honest frustration that arrives when there’s no place to hide. said the team needed to respond better when things get hard. “[We need to] be better when times get hard,” Taylor said. “Don’t put our heads down. I think body language on our team is an issue at times. I guess you could say myself included.”.
Still, the Sky weren’t completely without bright spots. Kamilla Cardoso finished with a double-double—12 points and 13 rebounds. Azura Stevens looked the most like herself since returning from injury. And Taylor again came off the bench with a scoring burst, putting up 15 points on 6-for-13 shooting.
Those efforts mattered, but they couldn’t replace what Chicago needed most: stops. Cloud pointed back to the basics. describing defense as pride. preparation. and connectivity—being in the right places for the entire shot clock and ending possessions strong. “To me. defense is about pride. preparation. connectivity. our willingness to be there for one another. to be in gaps for the duration of the shot clock and then end the possession. ” Cloud said. “If we get stops. we get to do what we want. which is run in transition. which we’re actually pretty good at.”.
Transition offense has disappeared during this four-game skid. Against the Mystics, Chicago scored only four fast-break points.
There is still plenty of season left. But the Sky now have to find a way to reclaim the veteran edge that was supposed to steady their nights. Against the Mystics’ rookies, Chicago couldn’t match the energy—and on a roster missing key pieces, the gap became too wide, too quickly.
WNBA Chicago Sky Washington Mystics Natasha Cloud Sydney Johnson Tyler Marsh Rickea Jackson injury Gabriela Jaquez Shakira Austin Michaela Onyenwere Rori Harmon