By: Jennifer Portee
4/27/2026
The Mystics opened their preseason with a loss, but if you watched closely, this one told a much bigger story than the final score.
Washington fell 77-66 to the Lynx, and for a team still figuring itself out, the night felt like a mix of promise and reality check.
Early on, the energy was there.
The Mystics came out active, locked in defensively, and disruptive. They made life tough for Minnesota, forcing turnovers and setting the tone with physical play. Rookie guard Olivia Miles couldn’t get comfortable, and the Lynx as a whole looked out of rhythm in that first half. Washington took advantage, heading into the break up 40-36, with young pieces like Cotie McMahon and Lauren Betts showing why there’s real excitement around this group.
But then the game flipped.
And it flipped fast.
The second half was a whole different vibe. The offense cooled off fast and never really recovered. Washington went through a long scoring drought, took a while to get anything on the board in the third, and couldn’t generate clean looks. By the time they started to settle in, the Lynx had already grabbed control of the game.
A 26-7 third quarter pretty much told the story.
Shots weren’t falling. The ball wasn’t moving the same. And when the Lynx started applying pressure especially on Sonia Citronit threw everything off. What looked smooth and controlled in the first half turned into forced looks and broken rhythm in the second.
That’s part of the growing process.
There were still some clear positives. The Mystics showed they can draw fouls and use their size to create advantages that’s something that’s going to matter a lot this season. But on the flip side, getting outworked on the glass isn’t the identity they’re aiming for, especially with the size they have on the floor.
And then there’s the shooting.
Five threes on 20 attempts isn’t going to cut it, and it shows a real question for this roster where is the consistent spacing going to come from? That’s something they’ll need to figure out sooner rather than later.
One bright spot? Georgia Amoore made her WNBA debut.
It was a short run, just 12 minutes, but you could see flashes. Nothing flashy yet just steady, controlled, and getting her feet under her. It’s early, but there’s something to build on there.
At the end of the day, this wasn’t about the loss.
It was about seeing what this team is right now and what it still needs to become.
There’s effort. There’s potential. But there’s also work to be done.
And that’s exactly what preseason is for.