WASHINGTON — Sika Kone scored a career-high 20 points and the Washington Mystics pulled out a 92-91 win over Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever on Thursday night before a record crowd of 20,711, the largest in WNBA history.
The Mystics (14-26), who led by 16 points entering the fourth quarter, began the regular-season finale with a shot at the final playoff spot, but that hope ended when the Atlanta Dream (15-25) won at New York to secure the No. 8 seed.
Ariel Atkins and Emily Engstler scored 17 points apiece for Washington, while Brittney Sykes and Shatori Walker-Kimbrough both contributed 12.
Indiana (20-20) had already locked up the No. 6 seed and pulled its starters midway through the second half. Clark, the record-setting rookie, had 8 points, 8 assists and 5 rebounds in 20 minutes, while Kelsey Mitchell had four points and was pulled after only five minutes. For Clark, it was her first time being held under double figures in scoring since June 13.
Kristy Wallace led the Fever, who will face No. 3 seed Connecticut in a three-game series beginning Sunday, with 17 points. NaLyssa Smith had 16 points, and Aliyah Boston and Katie Lou Samuelson both had 10.
The record attendance was made possible by the game’s being played at…
