Las Vegas Aces at Washington Mystics

Mystics close on a 12-2 run to beat the short-handed Aces 70-68

Jewell Loyd led Las Vegas (9-11) with 20 points while Chelsea Gray added 13.

Washington trailed 66-58 with 3:45 remaining.

Austin grabbed an offensive rebound and put it back with 39.8 seconds left to play to give Washington its first lead, 69-68, since it was 15-13 in the first quarter.

Las Vegas had three chances to take the lead at the other end but came up empty.

Sykes was fouled with 4.3 seconds left and made a free throw for a two-point lead. After a timeout to advance to midcourt, Jackie Young took an inbounds pass at the top of the key and drove into the lane to attempt a layup, but Austin provided some defensive help under the basket and the ball rolled off the rim.

Kiki Iriafen added 12 points and eight rebounds for the Mystics (10-10), who won their fourth straight home game.

Loyd sank a contested 3-pointer just before the halftime buzzer to give Las Vegas a 40-27 lead after closing on a 7-0 run. It was the first 3-pointer for the Aces in 15 attempts.

Reigning WNBA MVP A’ja Wilson did not play for Las Vegas because of an injured right wrist. Wilson, a three-time MVP, was injured in the Aces’ 87-78 loss at New York on Tuesday night when she fell hard to the floor. She underwent an MRI, but the Aces have not made the results public.

Regular Season Series

WSH leads series 2-1