Shakira Austin's 21 points, 11 rebounds, 5 blocks help Mystics win 6th straight, 79-74 over Dream

WASHINGTON (AP) — Shakira Austin had 21 points, 11 rebounds and five blocks, Kiki Iriafen added 15 points, and the Washington Mystics beat the Atlanta Dream 79-74 on Friday night for their sixth straight victory.

Washington had a 64-48 lead early in the fourth quarter before Atlanta closed within 77-74 with 32.3 seconds to go. But, Austin got a friendly roll on a contested shot in the lane to seal it.

Washington (18-12) current win streak matches the franchise-record six-game run by the 2019 championship team.

Sonia Citron had 14 points, rookie Cotie McMahon added 11 and Cassandre Prosper scored 10 off the bench for Washington. Rookie Lauren Betts had a career-high 11 rebounds. The Mystics set a franchise record for blocks in any half with nine in the first and had a franchise-record 12 overall.

Allisha Gray scored 26 points to reach 20-plus points for the 15th time this season for Atlanta (19-12). The Dream have lost back-to-back games following a five-game win streak. Rhyne Howard added 19 points despite playing with five fouls throughout the fourth quarter.

Angel Reese grabbed 16 rebounds and scored seven points on 1-for-12 shooting. The Dream shot a season-worst 32.5% (25 of 77).

Washington Wizards teammates Bilal Coulibaly and Kyshawn George sat courtside.

Dream: Play at Toronto on Monday.

Mystics: Host Phoenix on Sunday.

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AP WNBA: https://apnews.com/hub/wnba-basketball