The Washington Mystics moved closer to locking up a WNBA playoffs seed on Tuesday, scoring a win against the Connecticut Sun 79-69. Shakira Austin's 25 points and 13 rebounds powered the win. It was her 20th double-double of the season, and a history-making one when viewed alongside Kiki Iriafen's record.
Shakira Austin, Kiki Iriafen Make History in Final Sun vs Mystics Meeting
Austin's performance against the Sun brought her even with Iriafen, who already has 22 double-doubles of her own. Together, they became the first pair of teammates to hit 20 (or more) apiece in a single WNBA season.
That record-breaking stat, coupled with Sonia Citron's 12 points and Cotie McMahon's 13 helped round out Washington's balanced attack against Connecticut.
On the other side of the court, Diamond Miller paced Connecticut with 19 points. But the Sun couldn't close the gap by the final buzzer. Her teammates Leila Lacan and Raegan Beers each scored 11 points in the loss, as Connecticut dropped to 10-33.
How This Week's WNBA Scores Impact Playoffs Seeding
With the win, Washington topped its own franchise record of 26 victories, set during its 2019 championship season.
Now at 27-16, the Mystics hold a one-game edge over the Dallas Wings and the New York Liberty as the three teams battle for seeding advantages with just two regular-season games remaining before the WNBA playoffs.
As the WNBA’s regular season nears its end, seven playoff-eliminated teams are shifting focus to next year — and taking aim at the 2027 draft lottery.
No. 14 Connecticut sits in pole position for the No. 1 overall pick with a 21-65 two-year record, edging newcomer No. 13 Toronto’s .262 win percentage.
The Sun could clinch top odds this week, going all-in on the future after announcing President Jennifer Rizotti and GM Morgan Tuck will remain with the Houston-bound team next season.
The draft lottery relies on back-to-back records as an anti-tanking measure, giving the Sun and Tempo an advantage over 2025 playoff contender No. 15 Seattle despite the Storm’s lower 2026 win tally.
No. 12 Chicago is currently third in line to land the No. 1 pick, but thanks to a previous trade with No. 6 Washington, the Sky will automatically swap first-round selections with the Mystics.
No. 9 LA, No. 10 Portland, and No. 11 Phoenix round out the lottery teams, after the Mercury’s 2025 finals run dampened its shot at next year’s top recruit.
Angel Reese scored her 30th double-double of the WNBA season on Thursday, putting up 30 points and 10 rebounds as the Atlanta Dream routed the Connecticut Sun 103-59. The forward went 11-for-14 from the field in just 25 minutes, falling one point short of her personal best.
The lopsided victory marked the Dream's first outing after Reese won gold at the FIBA World Cup break.
Record-Breaking 3rd Quarter Decides Sun vs Dream Result
Atlanta buried Connecticut behind a 31-11 third-quarter run, blowing the game open.
Rhyne Howard added 10 points and eight assists while also etching her name into the record books. The FIBA World Cup gold medalist surpassed the single-season three-point record Sabrina Ionescu set in 2023, sinking her 129th of the year. And she needed just 40 games to get there.
Teammate Allisha Gray also chipped in 10 points. That tally pushed her season total to 782, setting a new franchise high.
Connecticut had no answer for that kind of scoring power after halftime. The Sun fell to a 10-31 record on the season, with Olivia Nelson-Ododa's 13 first-half points standing as the lone bright spot in Wednesday's drubbing.
The Dream, meanwhile, improved to 27-14. Atlanta now heads into the final regular-season stretch, hunting momentum ahead of the 2026 WNBA playoffs.
UConn women's basketball legend Tina Charles is building her next chapter, one pint at a time. The 15-year WNBA veteran-turned-brewery owner launched 78 Brewing Co. this summer out of Connecticut.
Tina Charles's WNBA Journey Inspires Beer Brand
The brewing company is named after UConn women's basketball's perfect 78-0 record across Charles's final two seasons with the Huskies. Charles also helped to lead those squads to two straight titles, capping off her college career before the Connecticut Sun selected her No. 1 overall in 2010 draft.
Her first release, the 78-0 Hazy IPA, hit shelves across the state in July. Weeks later came SUNSET, a tropical, hop-forward IPA paying tribute to her time with the Sun. Charles unveiled it during her jersey retirement ceremony at Mohegan Sun Arena, with both beers now available at Connecticut bars and retail shops.
"I'm just trying to tell stories through beer and just trying to bring communities together," Charles said.
The brewery puts Charles among another select group as fewer than 1% of craft breweries in the US are Black-owned. But what she built in the league is exactly why her new brand has a story to tell.
Charles won MVP in 2012 and led the league in rebounding four times. She retired as the all-time leader in rebounds and field goals made. The Sun raised her No. 31 to the rafters this summer, marking the end of one era for the WNBA icon, and the beginning of another.
The Dallas Wings tightened their grip on a playoff spot with a 97-71 win over the Connecticut Sun on Sunday night, pulling into a three-way tie for sixth in the WNBA standings. It was the final Sun vs Wings matchup before the FIBA World Cup break, and Dallas controlled the game from start to finish.
Jessica Shepard's Franchise Record Performance
Jessica Shepard led the way with 17 points and 10 rebounds for her franchise-record 22nd double-double of the season. She's now ranks second behind Angel Reese leaguewide, after the Atlanta Dream star set a new single-season WNBA record with 29 double-doubles.
Arike Ogunbowale added 18 points, while Paige Bueckers chipped in 15 points and six assists. Maddy Siegrist scored 11, rounding out a balanced scoring effort with four players in double figures.
How the Sun vs Wings Result Impacts the WNBA Standings
Connecticut's Aaliyah Edwards matched a career high with 26 points, including 21 in the first half. Still, the Sun (10-30) couldn't keep pace after halftime. They shot just 4-of-17 from the field in the third quarter and were outscored 23-12 in the period.
With the win, the Wings improved to 24-16. Dallas now sits in a three-way tie for sixth in the WNBA standings alongside the New York Liberty and the Washington Mystics. They're also just two games behind the Indiana Fever and the Atlanta Dream.
Hailey Van Lith is staying in Connecticut, at least for another week. The guard signed a seven-day contract with the Connecticut Sun on Wednesday. It's her latest roster move in a rollercoaster WNBA journey so far.
Connecticut Sun Re-up Hailey Van Lith's WNBA Contract
Van Lith first entered the league as the 11th overall pick in the 2025 WNBA Draft, landing with the Chicago Sky. There, she averaged 3.5 points across 29 games as a rookie. After parting ways with Chicago, she joined the Sun on a developmental contract earlier this season, and the added minutes have made a difference.
In 16 appearances for Connecticut, including three starts, she averaged 5.3 points, 1.9 assists, and 0.9 rebounds per game. She's also shooting 42.9% from the field and 40.9% from beyond the arc.
The Sun currently sit at 10-27 and have already been eliminated from playoff contention with seven games remaining. Injuries to Brittney Griner and Aaliyah Edwards opened the door for Van Lith to earn consistent playing time late in the season.
The new deal also marks something of a full-circle moment for the guard. Connecticut waived Van Lith in May after just nine games, despite her shooting 49.2% from the field during that stretch. The brought her back on a developmental contract just days later.
Golden State overwhelmed Connecticut 89-64 on Wednesday, despite a career-high showing from Sun rookie Charlisse Leger-Walker. Instead, the Valkyries set a franchise record with 54 bench points in their most complete road performance of the season.
Golden State's depth was suffocating from the start.
Golden State Valkyries Dominate Connecticut Sun with Balanced Attack
Eleven of 14 players scored at least two points, led by Janelle Salaün's 15 points on four three-pointers and Veronica Burton's 12-point, seven-assist night. Kaila Charles (14 points) and Kaitlyn Chen (10) also reached double figures off the bench, leaving Connecticut without a defensive answer.
Even so, Charlisse Leger-Walker gave the Sun their best individual performance. The rookie guard netted a career-high 17 points, but her breakout game came during a lopsided Valkyries vs Sun matchup that was effectively over by halftime. Golden State closed the second quarter on a 14-0 run and took a 55-27 lead into the break after the Connecticut Sun went scoreless over the final 3:51.
"We didn't respect ourselves," Connecticut head coach Rachid Meziane said after the game.
Connecticut Sun Enter World Cup Break Short-Handed
The Sun were forced to play without starters Leila Lacan, Brittney Griner, Aaliyah Edwards, and Olivia Nelson-Ododa after a World Cup call-up for the French guard and injuries benched the rest. They'll look to regroup during the upcoming two-week break for international play before finishing out the season.
The Valkyries, meanwhile, improved to 27-11 and sit second in the WNBA standings heading into the final stretch.
Aaliyah Edwards scored a career-high 26 points on Tuesday, leading the Connecticut Sun past the Chicago Sky 87-81 at Mohegan Sun Arena.
In just 26 minutes off the bench, she shot 11-of-16 and pulled down a season-high 10 rebounds in the late-season Sky vs Sun rematch.
Aaliyah Edwards Leads Connecticut in Tight Sky vs Sun Matchup
Connecticut took control early, holding Chicago to 0-of-12 from three in the first half and building a 44-29 lead by the break. Diamond Miller pushed the margin to 60-41 with consecutive threes in the third quarter.
The Sky fought back in the fourth, though. A 17-2 run, capped by threes from Azurá Stevens and Courtney Vandersloot, pulled Chicago within three points with 2:20 remaining. Edwards answered on both ends, blocking a shot and converting a layup to restore Connecticut's seven-point cushion and seal the win.
Kamilla Cardoso paced the Sky with 24 points and 13 rebounds for her 14th double-double this season. Vandersloot also hit a milestone in the loss, becoming just the second player in WNBA history to reach 3,000 career assists.
Connecticut improved to 10-27 with the win, while Chicago dropped to 15-24.
The Sun next face the Golden State Valkyries on Wednesday at 7 PM ET on WNBA League Pass. The Sky, meanwhile, take on the New York Liberty on Saturday at 1 PM ET on CBS.
Tina Charles will see her No. 31 jersey raised to the Mohegan Sun Arena rafters on Tuesday night. The Connecticut Sun is inducting the former MVP into their Sun Legends program, just months after she retired from professional basketball.
The celebration will trace all the way back to Charles's UConn women's basketball days.
A Record-Breaking Start at UConn Women's Basketball
The WNBA legend anchored back-to-back national championships in Storrs and left as the program's all-time leader in scoring and rebounding. The Sun then took her No. 1 overall in the 2010 WNBA Draft.
She earned Rookie of the Year that season and claimed league MVP two years later. From there, she collected eight All-Star nods across her career.
Even so, her most memorable contributions took place in Connecticut. Charles still holds the Sun records in career points and rebounds per game. She also logged 80 double-doubles in a Sun uniform.
Tina Charles's "Full-Circle Moment" with Connecticut Sun
"To be named a Connecticut Sun Legend is something I honestly never imagined," Charles said.
"I'm just incredibly grateful. Connecticut became home, and it helped shape not only the player I became, but the woman I am today. To be remembered this way means more than I can put into words, and I'll always be thankful for everything Connecticut has given me."
She joins Jonquel Jones, Alyssa Thomas, Jasmine Thomas, and Curt Miller in the Class of 2026. Meanwhile, the franchise is set to relocate to Houston ahead of next season. That makes Tuesday's ceremony one of its final home celebrations in the state.
Jackie Young put up 24 points, seven rebounds, and five assists to lead the Las Vegas Aces past the Connecticut Sun 101-78 on Thursday night. The win snapped a two-game skid and improved the Aces' WNBA record to 25-13 with six regular-season games left.
Jackie Young, A'ja Wilson's 3rd Quarter Surge Powers Aces Lead
The game was tied at the break, but the second half belonged entirely to Las Vegas. The Aces combined for 16 consecutive points in the third quarter, turning a one-point edge into a runaway lead. By the start of the fourth, the Aces were up 22, and Young was already resting on the bench.
A'ja Wilson added 20 points in her franchise-record 302nd game. Off the bench, Cheyenne Parker-Tyus posted a season-best 18 points and nine rebounds, while Las Vegas outrebounded Connecticut 40-23 overall. The Aces also converted 19 Sun turnovers into 28 points, sealing the blowout.
Thursday's Sun vs Aces matchup was the last regular-season meeting between the two clubs before Connecticut relocates to Houston in 2027. For the Sun, now 9-26, it extended a difficult run marked by their eighth loss in 10 games.
Where to Watch the Aces WNBA Game This Weekend
Next up for Las Vegas is a trip to Toronto to face the Tempo on Sunday at 7 PM ET on WNBA League Pass. The Sun, meanwhile, travel to the LA Sparks on Saturday at 9 PM ET on Prime.