The New York Liberty Are 8-0, But the Washington Mystics Are Up at 8AM Plotting Their Revenge

Following a 86-78 win over the Washington Mystics, the New York Liberty are still undefeated.

Meanwhile, Washington is still cooking.

And somewhere in between, Breanna Stewart is dropping 26-point double-doubles like morning podcasts and Jade Melbourne and Kiki Iriafen are in the gym before your alarm even thinks about going off.

Let’s be clear: This ain’t a rivalry.

But the Mystics aren’t rolling over

And the Liberty? They’re trying to lap the damn league.

Big Stew, Big Buckets, Big Problem

Breanna Stewart put up 26 points, 11 rebounds, and 10 made free throws like it was a casual grocery run.

Eggs, oat milk, and buckets.

Jonquel Jones only played six minutes. Tried to come back after halftime.

Didn’t matter. Stewie didn’t blink. Didn’t flinch. Just cooked. And then she talked like she plays — calm, composed, full of quiet violence.

 

“I’m just continuing to be aggressive,” Stewart said. “We’re hungry for more… we know what we did last year… we want to be consistently better… in everything we do.”

Stewie was the tone-setter.

She added a second-quarter chokehold on the Mystics — helping hold them to just 12 points in the frame. Every Liberty defender swarmed pocket pass attempts like bees on spilled syrup. Washington was sticky, confused, and out of sync.

 

“In the second we picked them up earlier… playing personnel,” she said. “They’re looking for that pocket pass all the time.”

Meanwhile, Sabrina Ionescu made more history — because of course she did. Thirteen points, seven assists, and her 400th career three-ball. Fastest in WNBA history to hit the milestone.

She didn’t even know until the game was over and the ball was in her hands.

 

“Didn’t know about that. That’s new to me,” she said. “They gave me the game ball… but continuing to get better every year from the three-point line, and better as an all-around player.”

What she’s doing now — leading, shooting, creating — is just a different level of maturity. Sabrina used to hunt highlights. Now she picks her spots, then buries you.

Sandy Brondello, all vibes and espresso postgame, gave her shooters some love. Like a proud mom watching her daughters hit pull-up threes. 

 

“Just the confidence… you look at their technique, they can get it off quickly, they don’t need much space,” Sandy said. “Just see how great they are.”

DC’s 8AM Club: Kiki + Jade and the Barbara Turner Grindset

While the Liberty are out here rewriting franchise record books like it’s a summer hobby, the Mystics are building something too — brick by brick, shot by shot, and often before most people even hit snooze.

8 A.M. That’s when Jade Melbourne and Kiki Iriafen clock in.

Not for show. Not for Instagram.

Just for footwork. For spacing. For survival in a league that eats rookies alive.

They’re in the lab with assistant coach Barbara Turner.

No phones. No fluff. Just work.

You know how rare that is? A rookie getting defenders to bite on the pump? That’s growth. That’s respect.

And Kiki? She’s the WNBA’s Rookie of the Month — but sounds like she hasn’t even scratched the surface.

 

“It started defensively. We got stops,” she said. “As players, we talk: do we want to collapse or fight back?”

She’s not talking like a rookie. She’s talking like someone with roots in this thing.

Kiki dropped 17 points on 6-of-13 shooting.

Snatched 9 boards.

Knocked down 5 of 6 from the line.

And yes — she even tried to “exploit” Breanna Stewart. As in, that Breanna Stewart.

 

“I was trying to slow the game down and not rush,” she said. “Slow is pro.”

That’s an elite quote. Might get it stitched on a hoodie.

Even Stewie caught the vibes midgame. Pulled Kiki aside during a free throw for a little mentorship moment.

 

“She’s under control,” Stewie said. “She doesn’t get sped up… I told her at the FT line, ‘You gotta stop sticking your hand in there.’ But she works hard. She’s gonna have a great career.”

Mystics Made It a Fight

This wasn’t a cakewalk. Not even close.

After Kennedy Burke splashed a buzzer-beater three to end the third — her fourth triple on five attempts — the Liberty held a comfy 73–57 lead.

Felt like the game was wrapped. Done. Handled. But then Washington flipped the switch.

Opened the fourth on a 14–4 run. Kiki was cooking. Jade was pushing tempo. Suddenly it was 81–77 with two minutes left.

One stop. One bucket. And the whole arena might’ve exploded. Instead?

Isabelle Harrison read the play like a spoiler thread. Stole the ball. Took it coast to coast. Finished the fast break and the and-1.

Ball game.

 

“We’re trying to win, don’t get it twisted,” the Mystics head coach said. “This team continues to add things. We’re getting better and better” said sydney johnson

And he’s not wrong. Washington cleaned up their act after halftime — nine first-half turnovers dropped to just five in the second.

They shot 43.3% from the field.

They out-rebounded the Liberty 39–36.

The spacing? Better.

The fast breaks? Sharper.

The energy? Legit. They just didn’t close. That’s all. But the foundation? It’s getting stronger by the game.

 

“The fourth quarter is when you have to execute the gameplan the most,” Kiki said. “Doubling down and making sure we execute… we knew we weren’t out of it.”

The Best Team in the League. The Hungriest One Too.

Let’s be real: New York didn’t play their sharpest game.

Sabrina Ionescu shot 3-for-17. The Liberty turned it over 13 times. They looked human. Even a little tired.

But they still dropped 86 points, shot 42.6%, and buried 10 threes.

Because that’s what great teams do — they win ugly and keep it moving.

Sabrina said it best:

“Super proud of our group,” she said. “But that’s not what our goal is.”

If the Liberty are the Empire, then the Mystics are just trying to steal the blueprints.

And they’re doing it one 8AM workout at a time.