The Washington Mystics outlasted the Indiana Fever in overtime on Friday night at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Sonia Citron went toe-to-toe with Caitlin Clark, who endured a rough shooting night before catching fire in the fourth quarter.
Speaking to reporters after the game, Citron was asked about getting used to the physicality of the WNBA. She credited her offseason regimen for her amazing start to the season, pointing to teammate Kiki Iriafen‘s work on the paint.
“That was something I really worked on in the offseason,” Citron said, via Deadria Clarke of Sports Illustrated. “They use their body against me in the paint, I can use my body against them. I’m just trying to be like Kiki.”
Citron finished the Mystics’ 104-102 win with a career-high 30 points on 10-for-14 shooting from the field and 9-for-10 from the free-throw line. She added six rebounds and four assists. Kiki Iriafen also had a career-high 25 points, plus 13 rebounds.
Kiki Iriafen Comments on Sonia Citron’s Performance
In her postgame media availability, Kiki Iriafen was asked to comment about Sonia Citron’s career night against the Fever. Iriafen had nothing but praise for her teammate’s jump from a rookie to looking like an All-Star.
“Soni just does a great job of staying composed,” Iriafen said, via Jarrett Spence of Sports Illustrated. “They were trapping her, they were throwing everything at her, and she’s the same. She’s tired, she’s the same, and Sonia’s one of the hardest workers. She’s there before practice getting shots up. After practice, getting shots up, working on, like, the little details.”
The Mystics forward added, “I just think Soni does it great. She’s an amazing basketball player. I feel like you can already see a huge jump from year one to year two, and she had an incredible year one. So, I think sky’s the limit, and, obviously, it’s super fun playing together, and just playing off of each other.”
The Mystics improved to 2-1 for the season, while the Fever are now 1-2. The Fever also remained winless at Gainbridge Fieldhouse with an 0-2 record.
Sonia Citron Praises Rookie Forward Cotie McMahon
The Mystics surprised many teams last year before struggling to get wins late in the season. They boasted Sonia Citron and Kiki Iriafen, who were named All-Stars as rookies. They then nabbed Lauren Betts and Cotie McMahon in this year’s draft, making them the youngest team in the league based on average age.
While Betts has struggled in her first three games, McMahon has seemingly fit better in the starting lineup. The Ohio State product had 13 points and five rebounds against the Fever, and Citron had nothing but good things say about the rookie forward.
“She brings a sense of toughness and just energy to this team,” Citron said, via Jarrett Spence of Sports Illustrated. “She’s very aggressive. She’s a great downhill player and she just adds that little bit of fire that just really helps this team, and obviously, it’s her first game. She is a rookie, so she’s just gonna learn, and she’s gonna keep getting better.”
The Mystics continue their four-game road trip on Monday against the Dallas Wings. They won’t play at home until May 29, when they host the Los Angeles Sparks to begin a two-game homestand.
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