Mystics Rookies Outplay No. 1 WNBA Pick in Scoring Feat
Mystics Rookies Outplay No. 1 WNBA Pick in Scoring Feat originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
On Sunday, the Washington Mystics had a 104-67 victory over the Connecticut Sun, snapping their three-game losing streak. It was their first win of the Commissioner's Cup, led by Brittney Sykes. The veteran guard had 28 points and six assists on 14-for-15 shooting from the free throw line.
Advertisement
Before their regular-season contest, the New York Liberty handed the Mystics their sixth loss of the 2025 WNBA campaign. The rookies, Sonia Citron and Kiki Iriafen, did their best to try and beat the defending champions. Citron had 13 points and Iriafen added 17.
Against the Sun, they continued to score like veteran players. The former Notre Dame player had 11 points in 27 minutes of action. The rookie forward, meanwhile, finished with 12 points and five rebounds.
Atlanta Dream forward Nia Coffey dribbles the ball as Washington Mystics forward Kiki Iriafen and Mystics guard Sonia Citron.Geoff Burke-Imagn Images
Following the contest, the rookie duo logged their 10th game of double-digit scoring, according to StatMuse. They each have more games where they had at least 10 or more points. Paige Bueckers, the No. 1 pick of this year's draft, had six games of double-digit scoring.
Citron is averaging 14 points and 4.4 rebounds on 40.5% shooting from beyond the arc. Her teammate, Iriafen, is averaging 14.9 points and 9.9 rebounds. The Dallas Wings' rookie has appeared in six games, averaging 14.7 points, 4.5 rebounds and 6.7 assists.
Advertisement
The Mystics' rookies have caught the attention of the masses with their strong start. According to Candace Pedraza, the team's success has a lot to do with the youngsters.
"The duo has been tearing teams apart in transition, with Citron an ever-looming scoring threat from three point range and with Iriafen consistently giving opposing teams' bigs their 'welcome to the 2025 rookie class' moments," Pedraza wrote.
They're among the favorites to win the 2025 Rookie of the Year award. As long as they remain consistent, Citron and Iriafen have shown that they belong in the league.
Related: WNBA Gives Shoutout to Mystics Star Following 1st Commissioner's Cup Victory
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 9, 2025, where it first appeared.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Fox News
16 minutes ago
- Fox News
Female tennis players granted WTA ranking protection during fertility procedures
The WTA will now protect the rankings of female tennis pros who take time away from competition to undergo fertility protection procedures, the tour announced Wednesday. The player-led measure will allow female tennis players to use a special entry ranking (SER) for up to three tournaments if they choose to undergo a "fertility protection procedure such as egg or embryo freezing." "By introducing this new form of ranking protection, the WTA helps to support and empower women athletes to balance a professional sports career with planning and starting a family at a time of their choice," the tour said in a news release Wednesday. The new measure adds to the WTA's Family Focus Program, which already includes ranking protection during pregnancies or other means of parenthood and postpartum support. It also follows the WTA's announcement in March that tennis players on tour can receive 12 months of paid maternity leave. "I'm incredibly proud of our sport in recognizing the importance of fertility treatments for female athletes," 2017 U.S. Open champion Sloane Stephens said in a statement provided by the tour. "For any woman, the conversation of family life versus a career is nuanced and complex. The WTA has now created a safe space for players to explore options and to make the best decisions for themselves. It's truly groundbreaking and will empower this generation, and future generations of players, to continue with the sport they love without having to compromise." Speaking to the BBC, Stephens explained her own experiences and the challenges she faced under the previous rules. "The first time I did it, I rushed back, and I was overweight and not happy and just very stressed out," she told the outlet. "The second time I did it, I took a totally different approach so I could just be in better shape. I could have the surgery. I could have more time to recover. "Having the protected ranking there, so that players don't feel forced to come back early and risk their health again, is the best thing possible." The SER will be based on the 12-week average of the player's WTA ranking from eight weeks prior to the start of their out-of-competition period. Follow Fox News Digital's sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter

Associated Press
16 minutes ago
- Associated Press
Red Sox pitcher Hunter Dobbins defends making discrepancies about his father playing for Yankees
BOSTON (AP) — Red Sox rookie Hunter Dobbins made some headlines prior to his first career start against the Yankees last week when he said he'd retire before pitching for New York. Now he's explaining why the claims he made about his father once playing for Boston's longtime rivals aren't the intentional fabrication that a New York Post report says they were. Hunter Dobbins said Wednesday he was made aware of the Post story, but said there is nothing nefarious about the connections he said his father had to the Yankees. 'My feelings and all that are based on my personal experiences and nothing to do with growing up or family,' Dobbins said. 'The whole backstory is stuff I heard growing up and seen pictures of from my dad. At the end of my day it's just from my dad and how I kind of grew my love for the game. But at the end of the day I don't go and fact-check my dad or anything like that.' In a June 7 Boston Herald feature on Dobbins that ran the day before he allowed three runs and four hits in five innings in an 11-7 win over the Yankees, he said that his father, Lance Dobbins, had been drafted twice by the Yankees before being traded to the Arizona Diamondbacks. The story also makes reference to Dobbins saying his father was friends with Andy Pettitte, who played 15 major league seasons with New York. But the Post report found no evidence of any of that, citing multiple official databases and the Yankees' own records that couldn't substantiate Lance Dobbins having played with the organizations. Lance Dobbins' own profile on the doesn't list any Yankees affiliation. The 2025 Red Sox Media Guide does mention him on Hunter Dobbins' biography page, but says only that Lance 'pitched for 2 seasons (1996-97) in the Diamondbacks organization.' Dobbins, who is scheduled to pitch again against the Yankees on Saturday at Fenway Park said he has since spoken to his father 'a little, but not really' about the Post story that first noted the discrepancies. 'My whole focus is on Saturday and getting ready to face the Yankees,' Dobbins said. 'This is my first time in the big leagues facing a team for a second time, let alone back-to-back. So that's where my focus is 100%. I imagine we'll talk in the future or something like that. But it's been a bigger deal than it ever really needed to be. But at the end of the day I really just need to get ready to go for Saturday' The 25-year-old is 3-1 with a 4.20 ERA this season. He said he isn't surprised that this story has gotten the attention it has in recent days. 'This is a great rivalry,' Dobbins said. 'Two cities that have a long history together. Anything that's kind of in the news that goes with both of them that's going to turn into a story. It adds to the game and we just have to embrace it and keep rolling.' ___ More AP baseball:

Associated Press
23 minutes ago
- Associated Press
Teoscar Hernández hits a 3-run homer and the Dodgers beat the Padres 5-2 to win the series
SAN DIEGO (AP) — Teoscar Hernández broke a sixth-inning tie with a three-run homer and Michael Conforto also went deep for the Los Angeles Dodgers, who beat the San Diego Padres 5-2 on Wednesday to take two of three games in the first series this season between the NL West rivals. The defending World Series champions bounced back from Tuesday night's 11-1 loss, a rout so bad for the pitching-strapped Dodgers that utilityman Kiké Hernández pitched the final 2 1/3 innings after starter Matt Sauer threw 111 pitches. Rookie right-hander Ben Casparius got through four innings in his second start of the season, with just one rough patch. He allowed five straight Padres to reach in the second but they got just one run, thanks largely to center fielder Andy Pages throwing out Gavin Sheets at the plate on a 99 mph throw on the fly to catcher Will Smith. After allowing three straight singles, Casparius walked consecutive batters, including No. 9 hitter Martín Maldonado with the bases loaded. Fernando Tatis Jr. then flied out on the first pitch to end the threat. Conforto homered to left-center off Randy Vásquez with one out in the fifth, his fourth. Hernández hit a 420-foot shot to straightaway center field off Jeremiah Estrada with one out in the sixth, his 11th. Freddie Freeman was aboard on a single off Adrian Morejon (3-3), and Smith drew a walk from Estrada. After pulling to 4-2 on Sheets' sacrifice fly in the sixth, the Padres blew another prime scoring chance when Michael Kopech walked the bases loaded with one out in the seventh. Anthony Banda came on and retired three-time batting champion Luis Arraez on a weak popup and Manny Machado on a grounder. The Dodgers, who rallied from a 2-1 deficit to eliminate San Diego in a National League Division Series last year, host the Padres next Monday through Thursday. Key moment Pages' throw home was on the first base side of the plate, but Smith caught it, wheeled around and tagged Sheets. Key stat Lou Trivino (2-0) got the win and Alex Vesia, the Dodgers' eighth pitcher, struck out the side in the ninth for his third save. Up next Dodgers RHP Yoshinobu Yamamoto (6-4, 2.20 ERA) is scheduled to start Friday night in the opener of a three-game series at home against San Francisco. Padres RHP Stephen Kolek (3-1, 3.00) starts the opener of a three-game series at Arizona. ___ AP MLB: